ire vs afg: Ireland host Afghanistan in five-match ODI series
Ireland begin a five-match ODI series against Afghanistan on August 5 in Northern Ireland, with the first two venues split between Bready and Belfast. The…
BREADY, Northern Ireland — Ireland and Afghanistan begin the ire vs afg five-match ODI series on Wednesday, August 5, with the first game set for Bready Cricket Club. The contest runs through Friday, August 14, and all five matches will be played in Northern Ireland.
The series matters well beyond the boundary rope. It gives both teams valuable 50-over practice, but Ireland’s decision to stage a full bilateral series against Afghanistan has also stirred discontent from the England and Wales Cricket Board, which is reported to be unhappy about the fixture.
ire vs afg brings cricket and politics together
Afghanistan arrive after a rough tour of India, where they lost a three-match ODI series 3-0. Ireland, meanwhile, are coming off a 2-1 home defeat to West Indies in their last ODI series, so both sides enter the series with something to repair.
Afghanistan will be led by new ODI captain Rahmat Shah. Ireland captain Paul Stirling is in the squad, though Cricket Ireland has named a group for only the first three matches because of injury issues.
All five matches are scheduled to start at 10:45 a.m. local time, which is 3:15 p.m. IST for viewers in India. The games will be staged at Bready Cricket Club in Bready and Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast.
That setup gives both teams a short, sharp run of cricket before larger ICC 50-over assignments. It also gives Ireland a rare chance to build a home series around Afghanistan, who have developed into a regular force in the format and hold a positive record against Ireland.
ECB anger could shape future fixtures
The strongest off-field story sits with England. The Guardian reported that the ECB is understood to be unhappy with Ireland’s decision to stage the series, and that the move could cost Ireland lucrative future fixtures against England. The issue sits inside a broader split in how boards approach Afghanistan.
The ECB has refused to play Afghanistan outside ICC global events because of what its chair, Richard Thompson, has described as the Taliban regime’s “gender apartheid.” Cricket Ireland has taken a different view and built close relations with the Afghanistan Cricket Board.
That relationship is already extending beyond this month. The two boards have also arranged a reciprocal visit to the United Arab Emirates next March, where Ireland will play Afghanistan in one Test, three ODIs and three T20 fixtures.
England, for its part, has not kept away from Afghanistan entirely. Its men played Afghanistan in a Champions Trophy group match in Lahore last year after a specially convened ECB board meeting approved the fixture, a decision that drew criticism from 160 MPs who had urged the board to withdraw in a joint letter.
The ECB has not scheduled any bilateral cricket against Afghanistan, but it did organise a tour of England for the Afghan Refugee Women’s team and invited them to the T20 World Cup final at Lord’s. The Afghanistan women players fled the country after the Taliban retook control in 2021 and enforced a ban on female sport.
For Ireland, the series is a sporting test and a diplomatic one. Five ODIs. Two venues. One uneasy backdrop.
