Kevin O'Brien
Kevin O'Brien is a key player for Ireland Getty

Ireland host Afghanistan in the first One Day International (ODI) at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast on 10 July.

Where to watch live

Match starts at 10.45am BST. There is no live coverage of the game in the UK. Click here for the live streaming link.

Overview

It is not often that associate nations get a chance to host another international team for a full-fledged series. However, Ireland are the beneficiaries of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) move to get smaller nations to play more cricket.

The hosts come into this clash after being outplayed by Sri Lanka last month, losing both their encounters against the visitors. The Irish have not had the best of times of late, exiting the ICC T20 World Cup earlier than they would have liked to.

They will be missing big names in Max Sorensen, George Dockrell, Boyd Rankin, Andrew Balbirnie, Craig Young and Niall O'Brien, all of who were either dropped or unavailable for the series. In their place, the team management has called up youngsters deciding to give them a chance to impress.

A lot will rest on senior pros with Kevin O'Brien, Ed Joyce and skipper William Porterfield among their star players.

Their opponents Afghanistan come into this clash after beating Scotland and have impressed in the ODI format in the last year, winning a couple of series against Zimbabwe in the limited opportunities that they have got.

The team is currently placed 10<sup>th in the ICC rankings with 51 points while Ireland are in 12<sup>th place with 41 points. A series win for the visitors will ensure that they stay above them in the rankings. A lot will rest on the shoulders of star opener Mohammad Shahzad who scored 84 off 91 balls during their win against Scotland and also impressed with his displays at the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup.

He along with skipper Asghar Stanikzai will need to be on top of their game if Afghanistan are to win the series.

Prediction

Ireland to win

Betting odds (betway)

  • Ireland to win: 11/10
  • Afghanistan to win: 8/11

Team news

Ireland

Squad: William Porterfield (c), Mark Adair, John Anderson, Peter Chase, Ed Joyce, Tyrone Kane, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O'Brien, Stuart Poytner, Paul Stirling, Sean Terry, Garry Wilson.

Afghanistan

Squad: Asghar Stanikzai (c), Amir Hamza, Dawlat Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Javed Ahmadi, Mirwais Ashraf, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad, Najibullah Zadran, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Rashid Khan, Samiullah Shenwari, Shapoor Zadran, Yamin Ahmadzai.

Afghanistan