Afghanistan will face Ireland for the first time since that famous game in Harare, which saw them qualify for the 2019 World Cup alongside the Windies. Both the teams haven't played One-Day Internationals since the qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe earlier this year, and with Ireland not a part of the World Cup next year, the series may not have a lot at stake -- except definitely for the hosts, who need a series win to convince the world once again, unfortunately, that they are good enough.
AFGHANISTAN TOUR OF IRELAND, 2018
Ireland take on Afghanistan in the preferred format
Niall O'Brien returns to the Ireland squad for the ODIs. © Getty
Despite Afghanistan's recent successes, the head-to-head between the sides is pretty level. Of the 19 ODIs the two sides have played against each other, Afghanistan have won eight, Ireland have won nine and two games stand abandoned. The last time the two sides met in a bilateral series, Ireland took the honours, winning the series 2-1 in alien Sharjah conditions.
Afghanistan, though, are on a neurotic four-match winning streak -- even though it's been a while since then -- that helped them qualify for the World Cup, and as much as that's in the past, it'll play its part. The equations have changed.
