Teams:

Afghanistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Shahzad(w), Najeeb Tarakai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Stanikzai(c), Samiullah Shenwari, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Gulbadin Naib, Dawlat Zadran, Fareed Ahmad

Ireland (Playing XI): Ed Joyce, Paul Stirling, Niall O'Brien, William Porterfield(c), Andrew Balbirnie, Gary Wilson(w), Stuart Thompson, Andy McBrine, George Dockrell, Tim Murtagh, Jacob Mulder

Asghar Stanikzai: Credit to Kevin O'Brien to the way he played. It was a difficult track. We will try our best to play good cricket. The wicket looks good and 250-260 is a chaseable score. We have a good batting line-up. We have three changes.

William Porterfield: Looks a decent wicket. It (surface) is close to the first two ODIs and it played well. It was very much (satisfying to win the 4th ODI). Picking up a niggle and coming back like that. It was a fantastic effort, he (Kevin O'Brien) misses out today's game. That is unfortunate. But all the other lads have put their hands up. The last two games were also important and if we can play well, we know we can win.

Pitch Report: It's a hard wicket and has a good covering of grass. It's a good wicket to bat on and the team which wins the toss will want to bat first, reckons Chetan Sharma.

Ireland have won the toss and have opted to bat

With sunbaking out at Greater Noida, the stage is well set for both the teams to prove themselves at what will be a virtual final. 10 minutes to go for the toss and we will bring you all the updates.

08:40 Local Time: Hello and a warm welcome to the series decider. Afghanistan brought their T20 form into the ODIs and went onto win the first two games. However, the momentum has now shifted towards Ireland with the previous two encounters going their way. Kevin O'Brien - their hero of the 4th ODI will be crucial again, but will he be fit to play? He was seen struggling in the previous game and looked like a doubtful starter. For Afghanistan, Rashid Khan will be the key. Ireland have not been able to pick him throughout the series and they will want to play him watchfully to give them a good chance in this final ODI.

Preview:

A week ago, Ireland had succumbed to their fifth consecutive loss against Afghanistan in the abridged versions of the game. However, the visitors have since then played with determination and renewed vigour to win the third and fourth One-Day International and leave the five-match series deadlocked at 2-2.

The crumble-prone middle order stood up in both those matches to pilot Ireland to victories. The visitors have a powerhouse top-order, with Ed Joyce, William Porterfield and Paul Stirling consistently being among the runs. However, the think-tank would be buoyed by the fact that the middle order consisting Andrew Balbirnie, Kevin O'Brien and Gary Wilson made vital contributions in the last couple of games to help Ireland make a stunning comeback in the series.

In the three-match Twenty20 International series and the first two ODIs, Rashid Khan twirled his fingers to run through Ireland's line-up time and again. However, the visitors seem to have defused the legspinner's googly, illustrated by the way they negated his threat in the fourth match. Rashid ended the fourth ODI with modest returns of 2 for 50 in nine overs.

The experienced Middlesex seamer, Tim Murtagh, is known for his nagging control and swing in the County circles. He gave a full display of his exemplary control with a spell of 1 for 26 in the fourth ODI. On the other hand, Kevin, the all-rounder, and Jacob Mulder, the legspinner, made the crucial incisions, sharing seven spoils between them. With four spinners in the line-up, the tourists have found the right balance to trouble Afghanistan on slow tracks.

Afghanistan, will be pondering about their abject collapse in the last match. They found themselves precariously-placed at 83 for 7. If it weren't for useful contributions from the lower-order batsmen, Afghanistan might have been bundled out for a paltry total.

Mohammad Shahzad and Rahmat Shah will be looking to raise their stakes for the final match of the rubber. On a positive note, after a prolonged slump, Asghar Stanikzai, the captain, has made a welcome return to form. He notched up a hundred in the second game and compiled a well-measured 35 in the fourth.

Among the bowlers, Rashid will again be Afghanistan's trump card. The legspinner has already bagged 12 wickets at an astounding average of 15.41. Dawlat Zadran, the seamer, has backed up Rashid by taking nine wickets so far. Amir Hamza, the parsimonious left-arm spinner, however, is going through a rough patch. The 25-year-old has snared just two scalps at an average of 101 in the series. Afghanistan's ordinary fielding is another area of concern for the think-tank.

When: Afghanistan vs Ireland, fifth ODI,March 24, 9:30 AM local time.

Where: Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground, Greater Noida.

Teams:

Ireland (From): Ed Joyce, Paul Stirling, William Porterfield(c), Andrew Balbirnie, Kevin O'Brien, Gary Wilson(w), Stuart Thompson, Andy McBrine, George Dockrell, Tim Murtagh, Peter Chase, Jacob Mulder, Barry McCarthy, Boyd Rankin, Craig Young, Niall O'Brien

Afghanistan (From): Mohammad Shahzad(w), Usman Ghani, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Stanikzai(c), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Dawlat Zadran, Amir Hamza, Noor Ali Zadran, Samiullah Shenwari, Nasir Jamal, Najibullah Zadran, Fareed Ahmad, Javed Ahmadi