CricketEurope reports:

Hazratullah Zazai was the difference between the sides at Bready today as Afghanistan beat Ireland by 16 runs to take the lead in their best of three T20 series. Zazai had the home side very much on the back foot early on as he laid into the Ireland bowlers from the start of a game reduced to 18 overs apiece because of early morning rain.

The opener seemed to find the attack very much to his liking, racing to his half century from just 22 deliveries. Such was Zazai's dominance that the normally swashbuckling Mohammad Shahzad had made just 9 by the time his partner had raised his bat at the other end.

To be fair to the Ireland bowlers, they dragged it back considerably in the second half of the innings after Simi Singh had Zazai caught behind by Gary Wilson for 74 (8 fours and 6 sixes). Shahzad followed soon after for 29 and although skipper Asghar Stanikzai added 31, the runs were to dry up.

After 10 overs the visitors had amassed 115-1, however the last 8 yielded just 45 more as Ireland pegged it back with some disciplined bowling. Josh Little did particularly well to finish with 2-20 from his 4 overs while Tyrone Kane came in for some early tap before recovering to claim 2-50 as the visitors posted 160-7.

Ireland's reply started at a decent pace but once they lost Paul Stirling for 27, Afghanistan sensed their chance. Skipper Gary Wilson top scored with 34 and Simi Singh chipped in with 20 but it took a late 22 not out from George Dockrell to get the hosts as close as they did.

Rashid Khan (3-35) was the most successful of the bowling unit with Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2-14) and Aftab Alam (2-30) also on the money. The sides square up at the same venue on 22 August when skipper Wilson will be keen to keep the series alive.