Afghanistan proved too strong with bat and ball against Ireland as they claimed a 57-run victory in Sharjah on Monday to edge the T20I series 2-1. A superb 72 not out from Ibrahim Zadran, backed up by the bowling of Azmatullah Omarzai, gave the hosts victory in the final match of Ireland's tour against Afghanistan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"It is a great series win for us," said Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan, going on to praise the performance of his young side.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Irish were unable to chase down a target of 156, with Omarzai's four wickets for just nine runs helping bowl the tourists out for 98 inside 18 overs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ireland won the first T20I of the mini-series last week but consecutive wins on Sunday and Monday ensured Afghanistan recovered to take the three-game series, after earlier winning the ODI series 2-0.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For the third consecutive time, Khan won the toss against Ireland and as he did in Monday's 10-run win, he elected to bat first.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Batting at three, 22-year-old Zadran anchored Afghanistan's innings with his career-best T20I score of 72, which boosted the hosts to a total Ireland could not match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz rounded off a T20I series he will hope to forget on a personal level, after scores of zero and three in the first two matches, when Harry Tector took a superb diving catch to dismiss him for six at the start of the third over.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Afghanistan were then ticking along nicely with Zadran and Sediqullah Atal at the crease, until Atal chipped a turning ball straight back to Gareth Delany.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In the very next over, Omarzai, on back-to-back golden ducks, was dropped by Delany on one but departed just two deliveries later, after lobbing Curtis Campher to Josh Little.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mohammad Ishaq's arrival steadied the ship for Afghanistan as he mounted a crucial fourth-wicket stand of 54 with Zadran, until the number five mistimed a lob on 27 and Paul Stirling snaffled up the ball.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With just over five overs left, Zadran kept the scoreboard moving along for Afghanistan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ijaz Ahmadzai ably deputised him at the end with 10 runs from three balls, including a monster six in the last over, before he was run out trying to get his partner back on strike for the final delivery.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ireland's run chase never really got underway, especially after Naveen-ul-Haq bowled both Andy Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker with consecutive deliveries in the second over.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Some resistance came from Campher and Delany's 36-run sixth-wicket stand but the visitors were never really allowed to form any partnership of great merit by Afghanistan's pace attack.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Omarzai, 23, claimed the keys wickets of Tector and George Dockrell, before removing Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy as Afghanistan took apart the Irish batting line-up.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Naveen-ul-Haq then bowled Ben White with a slower ball, bringing a close to affairs and securing Afghanistan a tight series win ahead of this summer's T20 World Cup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n