Rahmat Shah 143*: Afghanistan Beat Ireland in Record ODI Chase to Seal 4-0 Series

On Saturday, August 15, 2026, Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah struck an unbeaten 143 off 133 balls to guide his side to a six-wicket victory over Ireland in the fifth and final ODI at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast. Chasing 299, Afghanistan reached 302 for 4 in 48.5 overs with seven balls to spare — the highest successful run chase in their ODI history — and completed a 4-0 series sweep after the opening fixture was washed out.

Editor’s note: This article draws on match reports and scorecards from BBC Sport, ESPNcricinfo, and Cricbuzz, August 15, 2026.

Match at a glance

Detail	Information
Series	Afghanistan tour of Ireland 2026 — 5 ODIs
Match	5th ODI (series decider)
Date	Saturday, August 15, 2026
Venue	Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast
Start (India)	3:15 PM IST (10:45 AM local)
Competition	ICC CWC League 2 (2023–27 cycle)
Toss	Afghanistan elected to bowl
Ireland	298/7 (50 overs)
Afghanistan	302/4 (48.5 overs)
Result	Afghanistan won by 6 wickets
Series score	Afghanistan 4-0 (1st ODI no result — rain)

Ireland’s innings: Campher sets a stiff target

Sent in to bat after Rahmat Shah won the toss and chose to bowl, Ireland built a competitive total on a used Stormont surface that had already produced high scores earlier in the week.

Batter	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	How out
Curtis Campher	96	84	8	4	c †Gurbaz b Omarzai
Harry Tector	53	58	5	1	c Atal b Ghazanfar
Paul Stirling (c)	38	42	4	1	c †Gurbaz b Omarzai
Andrew Balbirnie	28	35	2	1	c Rashid b Ghazanfar
Cade Carmichael	27	28	2	1	c Rashid b Ghazanfar
Ben Calitz	21	18	1	1	c Rashid b Ghazanfar
Mark Adair	14*	16	1	0	not out
Byron McDonough	6	9	0	0	c Rashid b Ghazanfar
Liam McCarthy	4	5	0	0	c Rashid b Ghazanfar
Jai Moondra	2	4	0	0	c Rashid b Ghazanfar

Campher’s 96 anchored the middle overs, while Tector’s 53 provided support as Ireland pressed toward 300. Azmatullah Omarzai took 3 for 74, and AM Ghazanfar claimed 4 for 58 with a disciplined spell through the middle and lower order.

Rahmat Shah’s match-winning chase

Afghanistan’s reply began under pressure. Liam McCarthy removed both openers inside the powerplay — Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 14 and Ibrahim Zadran for 5 — leaving the visitors at 22 for 2 after six overs and just 30 for 2 at the end of the 10-over mark.

What followed was a partnership that defined the match and the series.

Rahmat Shah and Sediqullah Atal added 201 runs for the third wicket — an Afghanistan ODI record, surpassing the 184-run stand between Rahmat and Hashmatullah Shahidi against the same opposition in Abu Dhabi in 2021. The pair rebuilt cautiously through the middle overs before accelerating as the required rate climbed.

Batter	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	How out
Rahmanullah Gurbaz †	14	18	2	0	c †Tucker b McCarthy
Ibrahim Zadran	5	12	0	0	c †Tucker b McCarthy
Rahmat Shah (c)	143*	133	13	2	not out
Sediqullah Atal	98	112	7	3	c Carmichael b McCarthy
Azmatullah Omarzai	24	14	3	1	c short third b Moondra
Hashmatullah Shahidi	9*	6	1	0	not out

Atal fell two runs short of back-to-back centuries when Cade Carmichael took a diving catch off McCarthy in the 41st over, with 76 still required from 57 balls. Omarzai then struck 24 off 14 — including three fours and a six — to keep the chase on track before Rahmat finished the job with a boundary, sealing victory with seven deliveries remaining.

Rahmat’s 143 not out was his sixth ODI century and the highest score of his captaincy debut series. He struck 13 fours and two sixes, pacing an innings of nearly 300 with composure through a slow start and authority at the close.

Series context and what it means

The result capped a dominant tour for Afghanistan and a difficult home series for Ireland, who were playing their first ODI fixtures in more than 15 months under new head coach Gary Wilson.

Match	Date	Venue	Result
1st ODI	Aug. 5	Bready	No result (rain)
2nd ODI	Aug. 7	Bready	Afghanistan won by 92 runs
3rd ODI	Aug. 10	Stormont	Afghanistan won by 3 wickets (clinched 2027 World Cup qualification)
4th ODI	Aug. 12	Stormont	Afghanistan won by 42 runs (Atal 143, Zadran 107)
5th ODI	Aug. 15	Stormont	Afghanistan won by 6 wickets (Rahmat 143*)

Afghanistan have now won 10 consecutive ODIs against Ireland. The hosts have not defeated them in the 50-over format since May 19, 2019 — also at Stormont.

For Rahmat Shah, appointed captain for this tour, the unbeaten century in the series finale underlined his value as a middle-order anchor and leader. For Ireland, who may need to navigate World Cup qualifying ahead of 2027, the 4-0 margin exposed gaps in closing out games against a side that has become one of the format’s most consistent chasers.

Key takeaways

• Afghanistan’s highest successful ODI chase: 299 at Stormont on August 15, 2026.
• Rahmat Shah: 143 not out — captain’s innings, series-clinching knock.
• Record partnership: 201 for the third wicket with Sediqullah Atal (98).
• Series result: Afghanistan 4-0 over Ireland in the five-match series.
• Head-to-head streak: Afghanistan’s 10th straight ODI win vs Ireland.

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Discussion

Rahmat Shah’s unbeaten 143 turned a tense chase into a statement win — and closed out a series Ireland could never quite wrest back.

1. Does this innings establish Rahmat Shah as one of the premier ODI chase captains in the game?

He came in at 22 for 2, rebuilt with Atal, and finished unbeaten with seven balls to spare against a target near 300. Is that the profile of a future World Cup leader, or a one-series peak?

2. What will it take for Ireland to end their seven-year ODI drought against Afghanistan?

They posted 298 and removed both openers cheaply — yet still lost by six wickets. Is the gap tactical, mental, or simply about Afghanistan’s depth in the middle order?

Share where you think both sides stand heading into the next World Cup cycle.