Afghanistan 302 for 4 (Rahmat 143*, Atal 98, McCarthy 3-37) beat Ireland 298 for 7 (Campher 96, Tector 53, Omarzai 3-74) by six wickets

Rahmat, who finished 143 not out, added 201 runs with Atal after Afghanistan were reduced to 22 for 2 inside six overs with Liam McCarthy accounting for both the openers. This is now the highest partnership for the third wicket for Afghanistan surpassing the 184-run stand between Rahmat and Hashmatullah Shahidi against the same opposition in Abu Dhabi in 2021.

But, ODIs provide a luxury of rebuilding innings to the batting sides and Rahmat and Atal resorted to the old methods of run accumulation by absorbing the pressure early on and unleashing only when the time was right.

Afghanistan were 49 for 2 in the 15th over with the required run-rate hovering at around seven-and-a-half. The sight of legspinner Gavin Hoey sprung Rahmat and Atal into action as the former dispatched a half-tracker for a six over midwicket on the first ball and the latter smashed him for a boundary later in the over.

The two, from there on, smashed boundaries regularly to reduce the gap between the current and required run rate, which hovered around seven throughout the innings and only came below run-a-ball in the 47th over after Azmatullah Omarzai smashed Jai Moondra for a six and a four in the first two balls.

It is often the case that ODIs are won by the teams who win the middle overs and Rahmat and Atal made sure Afghanistan did that with their risk-free run-scoring. They milked the good balls around the dial to rotate the strike and dispatched the poor ones to the boundary. They added 201 runs in 210 balls and crucially denied Ireland any inroads. Ireland, on the other hand, had lost three while accumulating 148 in this phase.

The absence of Mark Adair, because of injury concerns, further compounded the hosts’ woes as Paul Stirling rotated his bowlers regularly but none could muster a breakthrough.

It took a sensational diving catch by Cade Carmicheal in the 41st over to break the stand when Atal – who missed what would have been consecutive centuries by merely two runs – looked to pull McCarthy out of the park. That dismissal prompted a promotion for Omarzai with still 76 runs needed in almost nine overs and the allrounder contributed 24 off 14 balls, smashing three fours and a six, until he was caught at short third off Moondra after he had already smashed him for a six and four and made Afghanistan’s win certain.

Rahmat, however, continued to play a captain’s knock from the other end as he brought up his century, his first in the format since January 2021 against the same opposition, off 109 balls. He went on to record his highest ODI score by making 143 off 133 balls, which included 13 fours and two sixes, and took his team over the line with a boundary on the penultimate ball of the 49th over which resulted in raucous celebrations by the Afghanistan supporters some of whom poured onto the field.

It was a cold morning at Stormont with dark clouds in the skies when Rahmat had decided to bowl and the Afghanistan fast bowlers utilised the conditions to their advantage through disciplined line-and-length bowling. The opening pair of Omarzai and Ziaur Rahman moved the ball in the air and off the surface, forcing Ireland to be cautious. It was only in the fourth over that the first boundary of the match was struck as Stirling caressed a rising back-of-the-length delivery from Omarzai through point and followed it up with an adventurous flash through third to put the hosts in the driving seat.

Campher’s late blitz added 101 runs to the hosts’ total in the last 10 overs as the allrounder stitched crucial stands worth 72 and 64 with George Dockrell, who came back into the side and scored 31 off 35, and Jordan Neill, who made 23 off 19.

Campher smashed seven fours and four sixes in his 84-ball 96. He took 61 balls to bring up his first fifty runs but accelerated rapidly from thereon. There were hopes in the Irish camp that he had done enough for a consolation victory, but Afghanistan proved otherwise, extending their domination.