Ireland must find a way to neutralise the threat of leg-spinner Rashid Khan if they are to level their four-match one-day international series with Afghanistan in Belfast today — but as ever that is easier said than done.

Rashid has been teasing and tormenting the Boys in Green for nearly a decade and his 6-34 in Co Tyrone on Friday was just the latest in a string of match-winning performances by the man described by Paul Stirling as “one of the best — if not the best — in the world.”

Ireland were well placed on 70-1, chasing 300 to win the first game of the series, when Rashid was introduced in only the 12th over — a sure sign Afghanistan knew they were in trouble.

The little man quickly shifted the momentum away from the home side by having Andy Balbirnie and Harry Tector caught behind in successive overs before returning later in the innings to clean up the tail as the last five wickets fell in the space of 25 balls.

“The sharp spin I got here is something I really like,” Rashid said. “The challenge is to hit the right area — that five- to five-and-a-half metre length — and I’ve been working on that.

“Bowling into the stumps is something that keeps you in the game, and as a leg-spinner you should always try to finish with the ball the stumps — that’s what makes you effective.

“Just keep it simple and keep enjoying your magic.” 

In theory, Rashid should be less of a threat in 50-overs matches than T20s because batters can afford to see him off by taking fewer chances, pushing three or four singles an over and waiting to cash in against the nondescript Afghanistan seam quartet.

Lorcan Tucker showed the way to prosper on Friday with a positive but restrained approach and would have taken Ireland much closer than the 92 runs they lost by had he not wandered out of his ground and been run out as he was distracted by an unsuccessful lbw appeal.

One thing you don’t do is try to play Rashid off the back foot, as Ben Calitz discovered somewhat embarrassingly after majestically striking 27 off 12 balls.

The left-hander was patently lbw to the first ball of Rashid’s comeback over — but not given — narrowly survived the next and was then bowled. 

Ironically, the only Irishman to ever take the Afghani magician to the cleaners did so in an England shirt: Eoin Morgan struck him for seven of his World Cup record 17 sixes on his way to 148 at Old Trafford in 2019. Rashid finished that innings with 0-110 from nine overs.

Ireland would settle for a third of those runs today.