Afghanistan lead the series 1-0 after a dominant 92-run win in Bready, and the action now shifts to Stormont in Belfast on Monday, August 10, at 10:45 AM local (3:15 PM IST).
Ibrahim Zadran’s 84 powered Afghanistan to 299 for 8, before Rashid Khan claimed his third ODI six-for with figures of 6 for 34 to bowl Ireland out for 207, despite a bright 62 from Cade Carmichael.
Ireland, whose chase was undone by a freak run-out involving Lorcan Tucker, need a big response to keep the series alive.
IRE vs AFG Match Details
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | Ireland vs Afghanistan, 3rd ODI |
| Series | Afghanistan tour of Ireland 2026, five-match ODI series. Afghanistan lead 1-0 after the 1st ODI was washed out and they won the 2nd ODI by 92 runs. The series now moves from Bready to Stormont for the remaining three matches. |
| Date | Monday, 10 August 2026 |
| Time | 10:45 AM local / 3:15 PM IST |
| Venue | Stormont (The Village), Belfast |
| Format | One Day International, 50 overs per side |
| Captains | Paul Stirling (Ireland), Rahmat Shah (Afghanistan) |
| Form | IRE: Lost the 2nd ODI by 92 runs, bowled out for 207 in reply to 299. Cade Carmichael’s 62 and Andrew Balbirnie’s 36 gave some hope before a collapse of 7 for 63. AFG: Won the 2nd ODI comprehensively, with Ibrahim Zadran’s 84 and Sediqullah Atal’s 45 setting up a huge total before Rashid Khan ran through the Ireland middle and lower order. |
| H2H | Afghanistan have won the last six ODIs between these sides, extending that run with their win in Bready. Ireland’s most recent win in the format dates back to May 2019. |
Dream11 Team for IRE vs AFG, 3rd ODI
Top Picks for IRE vs AFG, 3rd ODI
| Player | Team | Role | Key Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rashid Khan | AFG | Bowler | Top pick. Career-best 6 for 34 in the last match, his third ODI six-for. |
| Ibrahim Zadran | AFG | Batter | Match-winning 84 in the 2nd ODI, Afghanistan’s most in-form batter. |
| Cade Carmichael | IRE | Batter | Impressed with 62 in the run-chase, a rare bright spot for Ireland. |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | AFG | VC / AR | Vice-Captain pick. Genuine two-way threat in the middle order. At 1.5x. |
| Andrew Balbirnie | IRE | Batter | Contributed 36 and a 72-run stand with Carmichael in the last match. |
Pitch Report
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Venue | Stormont (The Village), Belfast. The series shifts here after two matches in Bready. |
| Pitch Type | A ground with a reputation for helping seamers, particularly early on, though it has also hosted competitive totals in recent white-ball internationals. Conditions should reward disciplined bowling with the new ball. |
| Scoring | With the series only just arriving at this venue, there is limited fresh data to draw on this year, but historically Stormont has produced tighter, lower-scoring contests than the bigger grounds elsewhere in the country. |
| Pace vs Spin | New-ball seamers on both sides should find early assistance, with Rashid Khan and Allah Ghazanfar’s spin likely to control the middle overs for Afghanistan, while George Dockrell and Andrew McBrine look to do the same for Ireland. |
| Toss Factor | Given the ground’s reputation for helping the ball move around, expect the toss winner to consider bowling first. |
Weather Report
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Temperature | Cool, with a high of around 19°C (66°F). |
| Sky | Mostly sunny through the day. |
| Rain Chance | Low, roughly 10 percent. A full match looks likely, a welcome improvement after the washout in Bready. |
| Humidity | Moderate, typical of a Northern Irish summer morning. |
| Overall | Good conditions for a full 50 overs a side, with some assistance for the bowlers under cloud cover if it develops. |
IRE vs AFG Toss Prediction
With Stormont’s reputation for helping the new ball move, expect the toss winner to lean toward bowling first and asking the opposition to bat.
**If Paul Stirling (Ireland) wins, **expect him to bowl first, trusting Mark Adair and the pace attack to make early inroads before backing his own top order, including Andrew Balbirnie and Cade Carmichael, to chase down a target after their promising effort in Bready.
**If Rahmat Shah (Afghanistan) wins, **expect Afghanistan to also bowl first, using Fazalhaq Farooqi and the pace attack to apply early pressure before trusting Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz to see off a chase.
Injury and Team News
Ireland:
Ireland will look to bounce back after a 92-run defeat in Bready, with Cade Carmichael’s 62 and Andrew Balbirnie’s 36 offering genuine encouragement despite the result. Captain Paul Stirling will hope for a more complete performance from a squad still missing six frontline seamers to injury. No further injury concerns have been reported for the squad ahead of this fixture.
**Key players: **Paul Stirling (c, captain, looking for a response), Cade Carmichael (62 in the last match, a real positive), Andrew Balbirnie (72-run stand with Carmichael last time out), George Dockrell (closing in on Ireland’s all-time ODI wicket-taking record), Lorcan Tucker (dependable wicketkeeper-batter), Mark Adair (frontline pace option).
**Predicted Ireland XI: **Paul Stirling (c), Andrew Balbirnie, Cade Carmichael, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Andrew McBrine, Mark Adair, Jai Moondra, Ben Calitz, Byron McDonough.
Afghanistan:
Afghanistan head into this match 1-0 up, with Rashid Khan’s 6 for 34 and Ibrahim Zadran’s 84 the standout performances of a dominant win in Bready. Captain Rahmat Shah has a squad full of confidence, with Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai both contributing in the last match. No injury concerns have been reported for the squad ahead of this fixture.
**Key players: **Rahmat Shah (c, leading a confident side), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (captain pick, vice-captain, career-best recent form), Ibrahim Zadran (84 in the last match, in outstanding touch), Rashid Khan (top pick, third career ODI six-for), Azmatullah Omarzai (vice-captain pick, genuine all-round threat), Fazalhaq Farooqi (frontline new-ball bowler), Allah Ghazanfar (young off-spin option).
**Predicted Afghanistan XI: **Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah (c), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Darwish Rasooli, Rashid Khan, Allah Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Yamin Ahmadzai.
