Ireland vs Afghanistan 4th ODI Highlights: Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran Tons Take Afghanistan To Series Victory

Welcome back, folks! The umpires punctually make their way out to the middle. And right after them, Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie, the two Irish openers, walk to the crease. The Afghan players now spring out from their dugout and scatter across the park. Azmatullah Omarzai will get us underway in the second innings. Can Ireland mount a serious fight here? Let's see. Alright, two slips in place and Balbirnie is on strike. Here we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Everest to climb - So 344 is the magic number for Ireland if they are to scale this mammoth target down. Realistically, given Ireland's well-documented struggles against spin, and the sheer experience and variety the visitors possess with the ball, Afghanistan will fancy their chances of getting the job done rather comfortably. For Ireland to show any fight, a stable start is non-negotiable. Their batters have gotten the starts, but it's time to convert them into big numbers and put on a fight. Stay tuned as the run chase is on the other side.

Left chasing shadows - As for the Irish bowlers, misery would be putting it mildly. They looked utterly clueless in the face of that second-wicket onslaught, drained of all momentum and unable to create a single inroad through the middle overs, let alone fashion a genuine chance. But that drought was finally broken by Gavin Hoey, who orchestrated the backend fightback for Ireland. Byron McDonough, despite conceding 84 runs in his spell, starred with a three-wicket haul, while the likes of Adair and McCarthy also weren't spared from the onslaught.

Twin tons broke Ireland's back - Both batters found the gaps with real flair, ran hard between the wickets and stuck to the basics, resisting any urge to go big on every ball. That patience and trust in the process paid off handsomely, with both walking away with twin centuries. Together they put together a marathon 231-run stand, now the highest second-wicket partnership in ODIs for Afghanistan. Hoey did manage a couple of wickets along the way, and he did stop Atal short of a well-deserved 150. But by then the damage was already well and truly done. The likes of Rasooli, Rashid and Omarzai chipped in with quickfire cameos towards the end to help push the total further, but they slipped big time from being comfortably placed 285/2 to all the way down to 343/9.

A massive cost of inconsistency - Ireland did strike early, with McDonough removing the big fish himself, sending back Gurbaz. There was movement on offer, with a bit of unpredictable bounce thrown in for good measure, but the Irish pacers couldn't quite nail those testing lines and lengths consistently enough to make full use of it. That let a partnership blossom between Ibrahim Zadran, who became the third fastest batter in ODI history to reach 2000 runs, and Sediqullah Atal, who fortified the other end brick-by-brick.

Damage done - A late comeback of sorts from Ireland, picking up seven wickets in the last ten overs to claw back some control in the closing stages. Psychologically, they might feel a bit better to have restricted the Afghans below 350. But still, they will be tasked with hunting a total they have never ever chased in this format. From Afghanistan's point of view, yes, they did suffer a dramatic collapse towards the end, with the middle and lower order managing only flashes rather than substance. But overall, they will be mighty pleased with the total they have managed to post. This is now Afghanistan's highest ever ODI score, to boot.

OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Mark Adair wraps things up with a wicket. Afghanistan finish on 343/9! This is banged into the pitch, on middle and leg. Yamin Ahmadzai goes for the pull but only manages to get an outside edge behind, where Lorcan Tucker takes a simple catch. A much better end for Ireland, but the target is still a daunting one.

Dug into the surface, on middle, Yamin Ahmadzai misses out on the pull. He blindly sets off for the run but is sent back. Lorcan Tucker misses his shy at the batter's end. Two dots in a row!

Back of a length and on middle, Yamin Ahmadzai swats it away but straight to short mid-wicket.

Pitched up and on middle, angling in, Hashmatullah Shahidi shanks it off the inside half of the bat towards mid-wicket for a single.

WIDE! Fuller and way outside off, Hashmatullah Shahidi lets it go. Wided.

This is turning out to be a big collapse for Afghanistan now. Yamin Ahmadzai is in at number 10.

OUT! GHAZANFAR IS RUN OUT! Another one bites the dust. Mark Adair goes fuller and on middle, Hashmatullah Shahidi drills it wide of long on and calls for the second run. AM Ghazanfar responds but Curtis Campher is much quicker to the ball and fires in a throw at the bowler's end, where Adair breaks the stumps, with the batter well short of his crease.

Low full toss, on leg, Hashmatullah Shahidi flicks it away towards deep mid-wicket and comes back for the second run. A better throw was needed there. This is now Afghanistan's highest ODI team score!

Excellent last couple of overs for the hosts. Just 6 runs and 2 wickets from the last two overs for Afghanistan. Mark Adair (9-0-55-1) will bowl the final over of the innings. Will Afghanistan get to 350?

Hard length and just outside of, AM Ghazanfar throws his bat at it but misses.

Short again and on middle, AM Ghazanfar swings across the line but misses.

Captain caught by the opposite captain. Ireland continue to make late inroads. AM Ghazanfar is in at number 9.

OUT! IN THE AIR...GONE! Liam McCarthy gets among the wickets. This is dug into the surface, just outside off, and gets some steep bounce. Rahmat Shah backs away and looks to slap it but has to reach out for it and gets it high on the bat. It lobs up in the air only as far as Paul Stirling at cover, who makes no mistake. Afghanistan are 338/7 now, 8 balls left.