Two New Eras, No Cricket: Rain Takes the Ireland and Afghanistan Opener

Some matches are worth more than their result, and this one never got as far as having one.

Abandoned without a ball

The first one day international between Ireland and Afghanistan, at Bready in Northern Ireland on 5 August, was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Persistent rain left the ground unplayable, officials inspected at midday, and the match was called off shortly after. The five match series stands at 0-0.

Why it was the wrong match to lose

Both sides arrived at Bready starting something.

Afghanistan were to be led for the first time by Rahmat Shah, appointed after Hashmatullah Shahidi stepped down from the one day captaincy ahead of the tour. A first match in charge is not a small thing, and he now waits for it.

Ireland, meanwhile, are beginning their own new period under head coach Gary Wilson. Two teams with new voices in the dressing room, five matches to learn what that sounds like, and the first of them spent watching the covers.

What is left

The second one day international is at Bready on 7 August. The series then moves to the Civil Service ground in Belfast for the last three, on 10, 12 and 15 August.

Four matches in eight days is still a proper series, and for two sides working out what they now are, arguably a more useful one than five spread thinner.

One honest note on our numbers

We would normally put some history around a fixture like this. We cannot here, and we would rather say why than quietly skip it: the archive our one day records are built on withholds every match involving Afghanistan's men's team, so we hold none of their cricket at all.

That is a gap in what we can offer on this series, it is not something we can fix from our side, and telling you about it seems better than writing around it.