After Ireland lost the first one-day international by 29 runs on Monday, August 27, Tim Murtagh remarked that the presence of world-class bowlers like Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan was the key reason Afghanistan came out on top.
Ireland chose to bowl first and managed to keep Afghanistan to 227/9. This was largely thanks to Murtagh's impressive spell of 4/31, which included the vital wicket of Hashmatullah Shahidi (54), effectively stopping a threatening 77-run partnership with Gulbadin Naib (64).
The chase, however, was a different story as Ireland struggled to build partnerships. Andrew Balbirnie scored a resilient 55 from 82 deliveries, but he was isolated as the rest of the batting order collapsed, resulting in a total of 198 in 48.3 overs. Afghanistan's bowlers were evenly dominant, with everyone taking a wicket and Khan, Nabi, and Alam securing two each.
The pace bowler, Tim Murtagh, highlighted the disparity between the squads, stating that Rashid is a world-class talent and Mujeeb is very close to that level. He believes these two are the primary difference-makers, noting that the bowling unit's job is to restrict the opponent as much as possible to support the batters.
Despite the bowlers' efforts, the batsmen failed to find their rhythm. Murtagh mentioned that a single strong partnership would have likely secured the win, but the team failed to produce a score of 70 or 80 from one player with supporting roles around them.
Murtagh expressed his disappointment, noting that Ireland felt confident at the halfway mark. Although they started slowly in the field, the bowlers did a great job clawing back to hold the opposition to 228. He felt they were well within the game, making the eventual loss even more frustrating.
Having already secured a 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series, Afghanistan will now aim to claim the ODI series victory when the two teams face off again this Wednesday in Belfast.