The third T20 match between Afghanistan and Ireland was played on the 10th of March at Noida, in India. Kevin O’Brien hit a six on the last ball of the super over to give Ireland their first victory over Afghanistan in the last 13 T20 matches played between them.
Ireland won the toss and elected to bat first. Gareth Delany (37 runs in 29 balls) and Harry Tector (31 runs in 22balls) were two of the best performances of the Irish batting line up while a total of 26 runs were scored by Kevin O’Brian. It was an average batting performance as none of the other batsmen were able to score more than 12 runs. Duo Naveen-ul-Haq and Qais Ahmed took three wickets each for the Afghani bowling line up while Mujeeb Ur Rehman and Rashid khan managed to take a wicket each. It was a decent bowling performance as none of the bowlers allowed more than 32 runs individually.
The 2nd innings saw decent batting performances as Rahmanullah Gurzab scored 42 runs in 29 balls and Asghar Afghan managed 32 runs in 30 balls. Bowlers Gareth Delany and Simi Singh took two wickets each while Barry McCarthy, Josh Little, and Craig young managed to take a wicket each. Things turned interesting at the end as the score was tied up at 142 runs, both teams played all 20 overs. It was time for the inevitable super over. Irish fast-bowler Craig Young held duo Rahmanullah Gurzab and Mohammad Nabi to eight runs. The second super over was a delight for the Irish fans as Kevin O’Brien cleared his lines by hitting a six down the ground to seal the victory over Afghanistan.
The man of the match was awarded to Kevin O’Brien for his brilliant performance in bowling as well as batting.