Afghanistan vs Ireland 1st T20 Match Prediction
Ireland make a familiar trip to India to take on Afghanistan in a mini-tour once again, with three T20 internationals scheduled at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground. The series starts on March 6, with the opening game getting under way at 14:00 local time.
Afghanistan won 3-0 when they last met in Greater Noida, and they go into this series on the back of a series win against West Indies – getting back to winning ways with a 2-1 victory, after their record unbeaten run in the format had come to a shuddering halt before that.
Ireland also faced West Indies last time out – their only series since qualifying for the ICC T20 World Cup. They won the opening game but a no result and a nine-wicket defeat meant they were forced to settle for a tied series.
Live streaming AFG vs IRE 1st T20
Live TV: RTA Sports
Live streaming: rtasports.live
Toss Prediction
Greater Noida seems to favour batting first, if the results here previously are anything to go by, so this could be a key toss.
Weather Report
Thunderstorms could make for a frustrating first day of this series in Greater Noida.
Pitch Condition
Greater Noida tends to favour batting, with some big scores in the last T20i series here between these teams.
Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds and match prediction for Afghanistan vs Ireland, 1st T20 Match 2020.
Afghanistan Team News & Playing 11
AFG Team News
Afghanistan’s captaincy merry-go-round continues, with Asghar Afghan back in charge of the team in all formats. Their squad for this series includes Qais Ahmad, though with Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman ahead of him in the pecking order, the teenage spinner will have to be patient. Rahmanullah Gurbaz will continue behind the stumps.
AFG Key Players
Rashid Khan: Enjoyed a return to some of his better form in the Big Bash League and the 21-year-old leg-spinner remains the top-ranked bowler in T20i cricket.
Hazratullah Zazai: Smashed a stunning 162* from 62 balls in the last T20i series between these two nations and the 21-year-old knows he needs to start finding more consistency in international cricket.
Mohammad Nabi: Scored runs and took wickets in the Bangladesh Premier League and the Big Bash League, to prove why he is ranked as the world’s top T20i all-rounder.
AFG Team Form
Afghanistan’s record unbeaten run in T20i cricket came to a halt last year, but they got back to winning ways in their most recent series in the format – coming from behind to beat West Indies 2-1. After levelling up the series by restricting West Indies to just 106/8 in the second game – Karim Janat claiming 5-11 – Rahmanullah Gurbaz hit 79 in a total of 156/8 to set-up a series-clinching 29-run win in the decider.
Afghanistan Predicted Playing 11
Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Karim Janat, Asghar Afghan (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatulah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Gulbadin Naib, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Ireland Team News & Playing 11
IRE Team News
Stephen Doheny has been called up to the Ireland squad to replace Gary Wilson, who has withdrawn due to illness. Either Doheny will make his debut behind the stumps or Lorcan Tucker will start the series. The squad, led by Andrew Balbirnie, otherwise has a familiar look to it with injured Mark Adair the main absentee.
IRE Key Players
Paul Stirling: Scored 95 at the top of the order in the win against West Indies in Ireland’s last T20i series. It was his highest T20i score and he has now passed 2,000 runs in the format with a strike rate of just shy of 140.
Boyd Rankin: Passed 100 T20 wickets as helped Ireland qualify for the T20 World Cup, the giant paceman remains a key part of their bowling attack in all formats.
Kevin O’Brien: Still a big-hitting danger with the bat, scoring 48 and 36 in two of the three matches against West Indies – good starts at the top of the order, which can set the tone for those who follow.
IRE Team Form
After qualifying for the T20 World Cup at the end of last year, Ireland’s only series since was drawn with the West Indies. Paul Stirling smashed 95 as they won a thrilling first match by four runs, defending 208/7. They posted 147/9 before rain ruined the second game, with West Indies a wicket down after 13 balls of the reply, but Ireland were bowled out for 138 in their most recent match and suffered a nine-wicket defeat.
Ireland Predicted Playing 11
Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Gareth Delany, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Shane Getkate, George Dockrell, Simi Singh, Craig Young, Boyd Rankin
Afghanistan vs Ireland Head to Head
Ireland are long overdue a T20i win against Afghanistan, having not beaten in the format since 2013. Afghanistan have won their last ten completed meetings, including all three in Dehradun in February last year. That included Hazratullah Zazai’s stunning 162* from 62 balls in a total of 278/3 in the second game – a match Afghanistan won by 84 runs.
AFG vs IRE Head to Head Stats
| Matches Played |
AFG Won |
IRE Won |
Tie |
No Result |
| 15 |
12 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
Afghanistan vs Ireland Betting Odds
In dominant form in this fixture, Afghanistan start the series as big favourites to open with a win.
AFG Bet365 Odds
- AFG to Win the Match: Afghanistan are 1.44 favourites to win this first game of the series with Bet365.
- AFG Top Batsman: Hazratullah Zazai is 3.75 to be Afghanistan’s top team batsman with Bet365, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz – their match winner last time out – is 4.00 alongside him at the top of the order. Asghar Afghan is 5.00, while Mohammad Nabi can be backed at 5.50.
- AFG Top Bowler: Rashid Khan is 2.50 favourite to be Afghanistan’s top team batsman with Bet365. Mujeeb Ur Rahman can be backed at 4.50, while Mohammad Nabi is 5.00. Naveen-ul-Haq is 5.50, as is Karim Janat after his Player of the Series efforts against West Indies.
IRE Bet365 Odds
- IRE to Win the Match: Ireland are as high as 2.75 to beat Afghanistan with Bet365.
- IRE Top Batsman: Openers Kevin O’Brien and Paul Stirling can both be backed at 4.00 with Bet365 to be Ireland’s top team batsman, while Andrew Balbirnie is 4.50 and Gareth Delany is now 5.00 with Bet365.
- IRETop Bowler: Boyd Rankin is 4.00 favourite to be Ireland’s top team bowler with Bet365, while George Dockrell is 4.50 – as is Craig Young. Simi Singh is as high as 7.00, which could prove a generous price.
🏆 Afghanistan vs Ireland Prediction
Afghanistan have an excellent record in T20i cricket against Ireland and, if this match beats the rain, they can open the series with another win.
Mar 06, 2020
14:00 IST / 8:30 GMT
Greater Noida Sports Complex - Noida, India
AFG vs IRE T20 
Leave Your Comment
We do our best to give you most accurate & useful match predictions and would love to hear from you. Let us know if we need to improve. Share your own predictions for the matches. Let's talk: