THE AFGHANISTAN players stretched out like the cats that got the cream in the afternoon sun at the stunning Dubai International Cricket Stadium yesterday.
And why wouldn’t they, after beating Ireland by 13 runs in the opening Group A fixture at the World Twenty20 qualifier to make it three wins in four meetings between the sides.
It leaves Ireland knowing they need to win both of their final group fixtures, starting today against a US side that upset Scotland to win by six wickets in Abu Dhabi.
A shocking fielding display proved the root of Ireland’s problems, with Afghanistan taking full advantage to make 139 for eight in their 20 overs, 20 to 30 more than they should have got.
Those errors were compounded by a batting display in which too many batsmen gave their wickets away as they were bowled out for 126 with four balls remaining.
Skipper William Porterfield, who top-scored with 35, said: “I think we lost it all round really, we didn’t deserve anything from the game the way we went at it.”
The Gloucestershire player added: “We must have missed six or seven chances, they weren’t even half-chances. I didn’t think we bowled badly, but we probably gave them 20 to 30 runs in terms of the chances we dropped.”
The problems started with the first ball, after Ireland had won the toss and inserted the Afghans, when opener Noor Ali clipped Peter Connell off his legs straight to George Dockrell at short fine-leg, but the 17-year-old couldn’t take the catch.
Ali got another life when Trent Johnston shelled him at first slip off the same bowler, and he would go on to make 42, while Mohammad Nabi added some late impetus with his 43 from 25 balls, including two straight sixes off Dockrell.
Apart from Porterfield’s knock, only Paul Stirling’s innings of 21 was of any note. Alex Cusack’s dismissal for 15 summed up their woes, as the Clontarf player was run out while backing up a free hit.
The shocks weren’t confined to Group A as the United Arab Emirates beat Kenya by 15 runs in Abu Dhabi, while the other Group B game saw the trend bucked as The Netherlands beat Canada by six wickets.
