Ireland shows character and determination in the series win against Afghanistan: Player Ratings for the hosts

Though the results did not depict it accurately, Ireland gave big teams like India and New Zealand a run for their money in recent times. Hence, they were likely to beat Afghanistan at home and the boys in green did just that – securing a 3-2 win in a five-match T20I series.

Let us check out the report card of the Irish players:

Top Order

Paul Stirling (4//10): Paul Stirling is certainly Ireland’s biggest star in the batting department, but the veteran opener could not get going at all in this series. He scored only 71 runs in five matches at an underwhelming average of only 14.20, while his strike rate of 114.51 was not impressive either.

Andrew Balbirnie (8/10): Andrew Balbirnie was not Ireland’s best batter in this series, but in comparison to Stirling, the skipper fared well. He scored 122 runs in five matches, which included one half-century. Balbirnie has an average of 24.40 and a strike rate of 131.18.

Middle Order

Lorcan Tucker had a great series with the bat

Lorcan Tucker (9/10): Among the likes of Balbirnie, Stirling and Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker was not the first name on perhaps anyone’s list of Ireland’s best batters. However, he stood second on the run-scoring charts by accumulating 126 runs in five matches. His average of 25.20 was also the highest of his team barring Dockrell’s unregistered figure, whilst his strike rate was 124.75.

Harry Tector (3/10): After an incredible outing against India, many expected Harry Tector to shine in this series as well. However, that was not to be as the elegant batter could score only 55 runs in this series – failing to cross the 25-run mark even once. He had an average of 18.33 and a strike rate of 134.14.

All-rounders

Gareth Delany (9/10): Though Gareth Delany did not do much with the bat, scoring only 22 runs, he was amongst the best bowlers for his team. He scalped 6 wickets, and though Delany conceded over 7 runs per over, the lad from Dublin made up for it by maintaining an average of 20.33.

Andy McBrine (2/10): Andy McBrine is usually a reliable performer for Ireland but could not impress against Afghanistan, and eventually ended up playing only two games. In those two matches, he conceded 38 runs at an economy rate of 9.50 runs per over, without opening his wicket tally.

Fionn Hand (7/10): Fionn Hand got two opportunities in this series, and the all-rounder gave a good account of himself in those matches. He scored quickfire 36 runs, maintaining a fantastic strike rate of 189.47. As for his bowling performance, he scalped a couple of wickets.

George Dockrell was influential with both the bat and the ball

George Dockrell (10/10): George Dockrell was undoubtedly his team’s best performer in this series – contributing effectively with both the bat and the ball. He scored 141 runs and astonishingly, was not dismissed even once. As for his bowling, he scalped 2 wickets while conceding only 3.50 runs per over.

Curtis Campher (6/10): Curtis Campher did not have a particularly good time against the Afghans, but he did a bit of everything to ensure he keeps his place in the team. The all-rounder scored 15 runs and picked up 2 wickets at an economy rate of 6 runs per over.

Simi Singh (1/10): Simi Singh got only two opportunities in this series, and his performances proved why his place in the team is not as secure as it was a year or so ago. He failed to pick up wickets, conceding runs at an economy rate of 15 runs per over, and also could not score runs.

Bowlers

Barry McCarthy (5/10): Barry McCarthy had a pretty underwhelming series from his individual standpoint. The speedster picked up four wickets, which might not be poor, but certainly inferior in comparison to the likes of Adair and Delany. The only time he had to bat, McCarthy scored a single run.

Joshua Little (9/10): Joshua Little is tied on the list of Ireland’s leading wicket-takers in this series, alongside Adair. He scalped 7 wickets and had an economy rate of only 7 runs per over. As for his average, Little registered an impressive figure of 17.

Graham Hume (2/10): Graham Hume played only one match in this series, and given how he performed, it will not be surprising if he spends time on the bench in Ireland’s next series as well. He bowled four overs in that match, conceding 41 runs without picking up any wickets.