Kabul – August 15, 2026: AfghanAtalan completed a dominant 4–0 series victory over Ireland after defeating the hosts by six wickets in the fifth and final ODI of the five-match series.
Afghanistan
won the toss in the final ODI, with the captain Rahmat Shah Zurmati
opting to bowl first. Having already secured an unassailable 3–0 lead in the
series, Afghanistan made three changes to their playing XI, resting Rashid Khan, Darwish
Rasooli, and Yamin Ahmadzai, while Nangyal Kharoti, Ikram
Alikhil, and Mohammad Salim Safi were given an opportunity in
the final match.
Ireland
posted 298/7
in their allotted 50 overs, setting Afghanistan a target of 299 runs.
For Afghanistan, Azmatullah Omarzai claimed 3/74, while AM Ghazanfar
picked 2/34, with Nangyal Kharoti and Mohammad Salim Safi claiming one wicket
apiece.
With
his first wicket of the match, Azmatullah Omarzai also
completed 50 ODI wickets,
becoming the eighth Afghan bowler to reach the
milestone. He achieved the feat in his 47th ODI innings, with a bowling
average of nearly 29, while his best ODI bowling figures
remain 5/58.
Afghanistan
did not make the ideal start to their chase, losing openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz
(14) and Ibrahim Zadran
(5) with just 22 runs on the board. However, captain Rahmat Shah Zurmati
and Sediqullah Atal
then took complete control of the innings, producing a magnificent 201-run partnership
for the third wicket to put Afghanistan firmly in command of
the chase.
Sediqullah
Atal played another excellent innings, scoring 98 runs from 112 deliveries,
including seven fours and three sixes. He narrowly missed out on his second successive and
third ODI century, falling just two runs short of the
milestone.
At
the other end, Rahmat Shah continued his magnificent innings and went on to
complete his sixth ODI century. The century was his
first in ODI cricket in nearly six years, with his previous hundred coming
against Ireland in January
2021, also in the third match of that series.
Rahmat
Shah produced a magnificent captain’s performance, remaining unbeaten on 143*
to guide Afghanistan through the chase. Azmatullah Omarzai also made a
valuable contribution of 24 runs as Afghanistan
successfully chased down Ireland’s target of 299, reaching the required total
for the loss of four wickets in the 49th over.
For
his outstanding unbeaten century, Rahmat Shah Zurmati was named Player of the Match.
Meanwhile,
Afghanistan’s star all-rounder Rashid Khan was named Player of the Series.
Despite featuring in only three matches, Rashid claimed 12 wickets
and contributed 50 runs, earning the award for his
impressive all-round contribution throughout the series.
The
fifth ODI was also a special occasion for former Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi,
who made his 100th ODI appearance for Afghanistan. He
became only the fifth Afghan player after Mohammad Nabi (178),
Rahmat Shah (132), Rashid Khan (123), and Asghar Afghan (114) to
reach the milestone.
Shahidi
has so far accumulated 2,681 ODI runs in 98 innings,
averaging nearly 34, with a solitary century and 22 half-centuries
to his name.
With
the conclusion of the five-match ODI series, Afghanistan return home after
completing a comprehensive 4–0 series victory over Ireland.
AfghanAtalan will next face India in a three-match T20I
series, scheduled to take place in New Delhi from September 13 to 17.