CRICKET; Ireland lose to Afghanistan in Delhi

Ireland slid to a 30-run loss to Afghanistan in their 1st ODI in Delhi despite the best efforts of skipper William Porterfield.

The 32 year-old struck his ninth ODI century to put Ireland in a strong position as they replied to the Afghanistan total of 292.
Porterfield struck 18 boundaries as he top scored with 119 from just 98 deliveries, sharing a 2nd wicket stand of 157 with Paul Stirling (68).
The pair had come together after the early loss of Ed Joyce (4) and their partnership looked to be guiding the Boys in Green to a morale boosting win. However four wickets apiece for Rashid Khan (4-48) and Dawlat Zadran (4-53) sparked a collapse which saw the Irish falter from 206 for 2 to 262 all out – losing 8 wickets for 56 runs.