Fantasy: Tucker, Little and Ibrahim could be perfect picks

Ireland lead the series against Afghanistan 2-1 but with two more games left in the series, the result could change within a fraction of time. Andrew Balbirnie’s side, who chased down the total in the first two encounters were shut down in the third during the run-chase, with Afghanistan pulling the game back by 22 runs. 

Can Afghanistan stage the ultimate comeback or will Ireland pull off a series win here on Monday?

Ground Details

Traditionally, the venue – Civil Service Cricket Club Stormont – in Belfast has been a low-scoring turf. However, in this T20I series thus far, barring one encounter, we have seen numerous high-scoring affairs, suggesting that the fourth one too could follow suit. The average first innings score at the venue is 160, with two games out of the three won by teams chasing.

Pacers have picked up 22 wickets in the six innings here, in comparison to the 12 picked by spinners. Pick your lot on the basis of this.

Suggested TeamWhile you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.

Captaincy Suggestions

For small leagues: Lorcan Tucker (c), Ibrahim Zadran (vc)

For grand leagues: Mohammad Nabi (c), George Dockrell (vc)

Stats that matter

•    Teams chasing have won two out of the three T20Is thus far in the series. The average first innings score here at the venue is 160.

•    Lorcan Tucker is the highest-run scorer in the series, with 108 runs, averaging 36, at a strike-rate of 133, with a half-century. On the other hand, Ibrahim Zadran has been Afghanistan’s best batter, with 82 runs in three innings. 

•    While Ireland batters have had a great time in the series, Afghanistan bowlers have been pretty excellent with Naveen-ul-Haq leading the charge. In between Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi, Afghanistan have picked up 13 wickets. 

•    22 wickets have been picked up by pacers here at the venue, which should suggest how you go about your things in your league. 

Grand League punts

•    It is quintessential to back an all-rounder to the tilt in the shortest format of the game, which is why you should play the Mohammad Nabi card as your skipper. While the risk is plenty, the rewards too stand at a fair-chance of pipping your nearest competitors. Nabi has picked up four wickets with the ball but he hasn’t done a lot with the bat, Monday could very well change everything. 

•    Dockrell over the years, has become a mysterious player. He no longer is a front-line spinner for Ireland but his effectiveness with the bat has made him into a batting all-rounder. The left-hander has scored 93 runs, without being dismissed in the series, at a strike-rate of 152.45. So, take the risk considering how it could help you gatecrash the party. 

•    Two picks that are fairly obvious are Lorcan Tucker and Ibrahim Zadran. Both the wicketkeepers are key batters for their respective sides. While Tucker is the leading run-scorer in the series, with 108 runs, Zadran has topped the scoring for Afghanistan with 82 runs in the series. Picking both of them would very well give you the security that you need. 

Here are the Top 10 Criclytics Projections

Probable XIs

Ireland: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Fionn Hand, Mark Adair, Graham Hume, Joshua Little

Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Usman Ghani, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi