5th ODI: Ireland opt to bowl; Afghanistan bring back Mohammad Shahzad

Ireland skipper Williams Porterfield won the toss and opted to bowl first against Afghanistan.

Ireland skipper Williams Porterfield won the toss and opted to bowl first against Afghanistan in the fifth and the final ODI of the series with an aim to draw level at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Dehradun on Sunday.

Afghanistan, who lead the series 2-1, made five changes while Ireland went in with the an unchanged XI that lost the fourth ODI by 109 runs on Friday at the same venue.

Veteran Mohammad Shahzad was brought back after being rested for the fourth ODI while 20-year-old left-arm orthodox spinner Zahir Khan makes his debut. 31-year-old left-arm pacer Shahpoor Zadran also finds a place in the XI and makes his comeback to the national team after nearly one year.

Hazratullah Zazai has been benched with Javed Ahmadi back in the playing XI.

Ireland XI: William Porterfield (capt), Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie, Simi Singh, Kevin O’Brien, George Dockrell, Stuart Poynter (wk), Andy McBrine, James Cameron-Dow, Tim Murtagh, Boyd Rankin

Afghanistan XI: Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Javed Ahmadi, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan (capt), Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Zahir Khan, Shapoor Zadran