Ireland hasn’t won in the format and hasn’t played a Test since the summer of 2023.
In summary, an uncommon test for Afghanistan and Ireland
Afghanistan and Ireland, These two parties were granted Full Member status six and a half years ago, but aside from the financial benefits that accompany it, that advancement for Afghanistan and Ireland has felt nothing more than theoretical. Not only have none of them participated in a three-match Test series, but neither team is a member of the World Test Championship. Together, the two have played 15 Test matches, almost all of which have been standalone events added like an afterthought to a white-ball series.
The Test these two play in Abu Dhabi this week is no different, one five-day game followed by three ODIs and three T20Is. Afghanistan are coming off a Test in Colombo that Sri Lanka won at a canter, but at least that means they have some red-ball experience they can leverage. Much of the squad is similar to the one they picked for that game, and while Rashid Khan moves closer to a return, Afghanistan remain without him for now.
While Ireland did play four Tests that year—a total Afghanistan would have to travel back to 2021 to match—they did not play a Test in the summer of 2023. Ireland, who have finished second in all seven Tests, have failed to break through, in contrast to Afghanistan, who have won three of them. That is lessened by the fact that they have faced stronger opponents overall, and the only previous game between these two teams was formally a “home” Test for Afghanistan, held in Dehradun. With easy, Afghanistan would win by seven wickets.Although he hasn’t yet made his Test debut, Afghanistan’s best wicketkeeper, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, is well-known for his skills behind the wickets and with the bat in white-ball cricket. He joining this group appears fairly guaranteed to change that. Although it’s hard to get solid data on his red-ball style of play, in the 12 first-class games he’s participated in, he’s averaged over 50 with a strike rate exceeding 72. If he finds his rhythm, his apparent brilliance should be evident in the longer format as well as being highly watchable and effective.One of Ireland’s reliable starts is vice captain Lorcan Tucker, although for the majority of the previous three months, he has warmed the substitution benches in Pakistan and South Africa. He played as wicketkeeper for Lahore Qalandars in their initial match before being benched for the following two. He was with the Paarl Royals in the SA20, but he didn’t get a game. However, Ireland needs him to get off to a quick start in Abu Dhabi and depended on him to contribute in the middle order for the course of the four Test matches in 2023. With 351 runs at an average of 43.87, he finished the year as their top Test run scorer—a feat no other member of his country could match.
Afghanistan : 1 Zadran Ibrahim Two Noor Ali Zadran 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 6 Ikram Alikhil 7 Jamal Nasir 8 Zia ur Rehman 9 Masood Nijat 10 Naveed Zadram 11 Zahir Khan
Theo van Woerkom, a left-arm spinner who earned his white-ball debut last year after defecting from New Zealand, is expected to play his maiden Test match in a lineup that largely resembles Ireland’s recent Test start XIs.
Ireland’s starting lineup: James McCollom, Peter Moor, Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Harry Tector, Paul Stirling, etc. Theo van Woerkom, 6 Curtis Campher, 7 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 8 Mark Adair, 9 Andy McBrine, and 10 11 Craig Young
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by,HHM