A composed unbeaten century from captain Rahmat Shah carried Afghanistan to a six-wicket win over Ireland in the final ODI at Stormont and sealed the series 4-0.
Afghanistan completed a dominant ODI series at Stormont, chasing down Ireland’s 298 for seven with a composed run chase led by captain Rahmat Shah. The tourists reached 302 for four in 48.5 overs to win by six wickets and take the five-match series 4-0.
Ireland’s innings began under pressure after Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bowl. Azmatullah Omarzai picked up the first two of his three wickets and finished with 3 for 74, removing Andrew Balbirnie for 13 and Ireland captain Paul Stirling for 20, the latter having hit four boundaries. AM Ghazanfar then tightened the visitors’ grip by dismissing Cade Carmichael for 22 and Lorcan Tucker for seven.
Harry Tector and Curtis Campher revived the hosts with a fluent partnership. Tector made 53 from 80 balls before being caught by Mohammad Saleem, while Campher produced an aggressive 96 from 84 balls with seven fours and four sixes before falling to the first ball of the final over. George Dockrell added 31 as Ireland closed on 298 for seven.
Afghanistan’s reply stuttered early when Liam McCarthy, who ended with 3 for 47, prised out Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 14 and Ibrahim Zadran for five, leaving the score at just 30 after the first 10 overs of the powerplay. The game shifted dramatically once Rahmat Shah and Sediq Atal joined forces at the crease.
The pair shared an Afghanistan record stand of 201 for the third wicket. Sediq was denied a hundred when he was caught by Cade Carmichael off McCarthy for 98, having hit seven fours and three sixes, with Afghanistan still needing 76 from 57 balls. Rahmat, however, remained immovable, ending unbeaten on 143 from 133 deliveries with 13 fours and two sixes.
Azmatullah Omarzai chipped in with 24 before Jai Moondra had him caught, but the result was never in doubt once Rahmat found the boundary to seal the win with seven balls to spare.
The result extended Afghanistan’s control of the series after the opening match was washed out, leaving Ireland without a win across the four completed fixtures.
