Afghanistan vs Ireland, Only Test Day 2 preview: Irish have a job in hand as Afghans aim for big lead

Afghanistan finished Day One of the Dehradun Test 82 behind Ireland‘s first-innings score of 172. They lost Mohammad Shahzad just when he was threatening to open up, but Rahmat Shah and the dangerous Hashmatullah Shahidi negotiated the last forty minutes safely.

With the likes of Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Ali Khil, and even Rashid Khan yet to come, Afghanistan will want to bat Ireland out of the Test.

Ireland, on the other hand, will want to peg them back. Given how the pitch has played, they will rely on their three spinners – George Dockrell, Andy McBrine, and James Cameron-Dow.

The seamers, Tim Murtagh and Stuart Thompson, bowled tightly, conceding 9 from 11 overs, but they did not look like taking a wicket. Both wickets fell to the left-arm spin of Cameron-Dow: Ihsanullah Janat went first, leg-before to one that drifted in, while Shahzad hit one hard – but back to Cameron-Dow.

Shahzad’s 40 came off just 64 balls, and included a hard-hit six over long-on, off McBrine, and 5 fours.

Earlier in the day, Ireland slumped from 37 for no loss to 85/9 in a just over two hours of cricket. Paul Stirling (26 in 30) began in cavalier fashion, hitting 3 fours in 4 balls in the fifth over, bowled by Yamin Ahmadzai. But Ahmadzai had his revenge when he had Stirling caught-behind shortly afterwards.

That opened the floodgates. In the next two overs Nabi had William Porterfield leg-before while Ahmadzai knocked the off-stump out to send Andy Balbirnie back.

Rashid struck with first ball, bowling debutant James McCollum for a duck with a googly. Two balls later a tossed-up delivery hit Stuart Poynter on the boot in front of the stumps.

Then Nabi struck twice, having Kevin O’Brien leg-before and Thompson caught at short-leg. Lunch was taken with Ireland on 69/7, and left-arm spinner Waqar Salamkheil took out McBrine and Cameron-Dow shortly afterwards.

Murtagh joined Dockrell at this stage, and the pair took the score from 85/9 to 172. The last pair added 80 in 125 balls before Dockrell was last out, caught-behind off Ahmadzai. Murtagh, who hit Nabi for two sixes en route an unbeaten 54, while Dockrell was last out, for 39.

Brief scores:

Ireland 172 (Tim Murtagh 54*; Yamin Ahmadzai 3/41, Mohammad Nabi 3/36) lead Afghanistan 90/2 (Mohammad Shahzad 40; James Cameron-Dow 2/35) by 82 runs.