Ireland beat Afghanistan by six wickets to script history as it registered its first-ever win in Test cricket, ending its spell of seven consecutive losses here at the Tolerance Oval on Friday.
Ireland’s captain Andrew Balbirnie led his side from the front, scoring an unbeaten 58 to seal the fate of the match well within three days.
The side played its first Test in 2018 when it lost to Pakistan and had previously lost to Afghanistan in their second Test five years ago at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun, India.
Starting the third day at 134 for three, Afghanistan was helped to a score of 218 with a half-century from skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (55 off 107b, 5x4) and Test debutant Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 85-ball 46 (4x4, 2x6).
Mark Adair, who took his career-best figures of five for 39 in the first innings, continued to torment the Afghan batters, taking three wickets for 56 runs, including that of Shahidi, who was caught leg-before while trying to defend on the back foot.
Craig Young, who also took three wickets, ended Afghan’s second essay, bowling Naveed Zadran out with a full-length ball that cut in to surprise the right-hander.
Ireland, chasing a target of 111, was initially left reeling at 18 for three, with Peter Moor and Curtis Campher returning for noughts.
But its skipper, Balbirnie, held the fort, building partnerships with Paul Stirling and Lorcan Tucker to help Ireland to victory in the last session of the third day.
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