Match Preview
Ireland and Afghanistan meet for the fifth and final time this August at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast, with the tourists already holding an unassailable psychological edge after taking a 2-0 lead in the earlier legs of the series. For Rahmat Shah's Afghanistan, this fixture is about pushing toward a clean sweep on Irish soil. For Paul Stirling's hosts, it is a straightforward assignment: win, and salvage some pride from a tour that has not gone to plan.
Match Details
The 5th ODI is scheduled for Friday, 14 August 2026, with a 3:45 PM local start at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast, a ground also known as Stormont. The venue has hosted three of the five matches in this series, giving both squads recent familiarity with its surface and boundary dimensions.
Series Context
The five-match series has been eventful. The opening ODI in Bready was washed out without a ball being bowled, a result that cost Ireland a route to direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup. Afghanistan then won the second ODI comfortably by 92 runs before edging a tighter contest in the third, chasing down 207 with three wickets and just over five overs to spare at this same Belfast venue. Rashid Khan was named Player of the Match for an unbeaten 37 alongside three wickets, a result that also confirmed Afghanistan's own place in the 2027 World Cup. The fourth ODI, also at Stormont, was played on 12 August, setting the final complexion of the series before this decider.
Squads
Ireland: Paul Stirling (captain), Andrew Balbirnie, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wicketkeeper), Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Jai Moondra, Gavin Hoey, Cade Carmichael, Liam McCarthy and Byron McDonough. The squad has been assembled without three frontline seamers — Josh Little, Craig Young and Barry McCarthy are all sidelined through injury, which has pushed extra responsibility onto Mark Adair and ODI debutant Jai Moondra.
Afghanistan: Rahmat Shah (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil, Nangyalai Kharoti, Rashid Khan, Allah Ghazanfar, Yamin Ahmadzai, Mohammad Saleem, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Zia ur Rahman Sharifi. Senior all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has been rested for the series, with the squad instead built around a settled top order and Rashid Khan's leadership of the bowling attack.
Key Players to Watch
Rashid Khan arrives as the standout performer of the series so far, having combined bat-and-ball impact to close out the third ODI. Rahmanullah Gurbaz remains Afghanistan's most destructive top-order option, coming into this series in rich white-ball form. For Ireland, Gavin Hoey and Jai Moondra will take confidence from forging a national record ninth-wicket stand of 76 runs in the previous match at this ground, while Mark Adair's ability to find early swing will be central to any hopes of restricting Afghanistan's top order.
Pitch and Conditions
Belfast surfaces in this series have generally favoured seam bowling in the first half of the innings before flattening out, and both sides have leaned on their pace attacks accordingly. Ireland's depleted seam options make the toss and early conditions particularly significant for the hosts.
Recent Form at This Venue
The only completed match at Civil Service Cricket Club so far in this series is instructive: Ireland were bowled out for 206 batting first, and Afghanistan chased the target down for the loss of seven wickets inside 45 overs. That result points to a used, seam-friendly Belfast surface where totals in the low-to-mid 200s have been competitive rather than commanding.
Winning Probability
Weighing the available factors — Afghanistan's 2-0 series lead, their higher ICC ODI ranking (8th against Ireland's 12th), Rashid Khan's outstanding recent form, and Ireland's weakened pace attack following three injury withdrawals — Afghanistan go into this decider as clear favourites. On balance, that gap points to roughly a 65-35 split in Afghanistan's favour. It is not a foregone conclusion: Ireland have home conditions, a fresh record partnership to draw belief from, and nothing left to lose, all of which keep the contest from being a formality.
Match Prediction
Given the trend of this series and Afghanistan's control across the bat-and-ball departments, Rahmat Shah's side are the more likely winners at Stormont. Ireland's best route back into the contest is early wickets with the new ball to expose a middle order that has not always been tested, followed by a disciplined chase built around Stirling and Tector at the top.
Disclaimer
Cricket remains an unpredictable sport, and this preview reflects an informed reading of current form and available match data rather than a guarantee of the outcome. Team news, weather, and the toss can all shift the balance of the contest on the day.