Ireland vs Afghanistan: Third ODI in Belfast on August 10 after Afghanistan take 1-0 series lead
Ireland and Afghanistan will meet in the third ODI of the Afghanistan tour of Ireland 2026 at Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast on Monday, August 10, with Afghanistan leading the series 1-0 after a 92-run victory in the second ODI. Rashid Khan’s 6/34 and Ibrahim Zadran’s 84 off 97 balls were the decisive contributions in that win.
Afghanistan posted 299 runs in 47 overs in the second match, with five batters reaching 30 or more. Ireland’s Cade Carmichael recorded his maiden ODI fifty in the same game. The preview notes Ireland need to focus on their batting, which has been "a little average in the longer formats." Across their ODI history, the sides have met 34 times: Afghanistan 19 wins, Ireland 13 wins and two matches abandoned.
The forecast for Monday in Belfast includes the possibility of light rain, a maximum temperature of 19°C and average humidity of 59 percent. The Civil Service Cricket Club wicket is described as aiding bowlers, offering swing and bounce and making the hard length difficult for batters, while the surface is expected to improve for batting as the match progresses; the preview therefore suggests batting second will be advantageous.
Ireland’s XI listed for the third ODI is Paul Stirling (c), Andrew Balbirnie, Cade Carmichael, Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Benjamin Calitz, Mark Adair, Gavin Hoey, Jai Moondra and Byron McDonough. Afghanistan’s XI is Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmat Shah (c), Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Mohammad Saleem Safi and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Suggested Dream11 picks in the preview include wicket-keepers Lorcan Tucker and Rahmanullah Gurbaz; batters Andrew Balbirnie, Cade Carmichael and Ibrahim Zadran; all-rounders Curtis Campher, Azmatullah Omarzai and Rahmat Shah; and bowlers Mark Adair, Rashid Khan and Jai Moondra. Captain First-Choice is listed as Ibrahim Zadran with Rashid Khan as Captain Second-Choice; Vice-Captain First-Choice Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Vice-Captain Second-Choice Cade Carmichael. An alternate set lists Azmatullah Omarzai as Captain First-Choice, Rashid Khan as Captain Second-Choice, Curtis Campher as Vice-Captain First-Choice and Lorcan Tucker as Vice-Captain Second-Choice.
"Afghanistan have more experience in this format, and their bowling unit is tough to face in these conditions. Hence, we back Ireland to win this game."
The third ODI of the Afghanistan tour of Ireland 2026 will take place on August 10 (Monday) at Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast, with the match scheduled to begin at 3:15 PM IST.