Ireland's Under 19's suffered an emphatic 101 run loss against Afghanistan in Brisbane in the first of their official warm up games.
Having inserted Afghanistan, the Irish were left to rue their decision as their opponents late surge saw them add 98 in the last 10 overs, with 72 coming in the final five. That late blitz saw Afghanistan post 257 for 6, with Hashmatullah Shaidi top scoring with 64 from 84 balls (9 fours).
Najibullah Zadran provided the late fireworks hitting 7 fours and 2 sixes as he blasted an unbeaten 56 from just 23 balls.
Tyrone Kane (2-46) and Graeme MCarter (2-64) were the most successful of the Irish attack, while the spinners proved most economical as Andy McBrine conceded just 20 runs in his 10 overs, while skipper George Dockrell took 1 for 37 in his spell.
Ryan Hunter (18) struck four boundaries as the Irish made a positive start adding 36 in the first 5 overs, but after that the innings followed a similar pattern as batsmen failed to convert starts into a potential match winning innings.
Shane Getkate top scored with 45, with other double figure contributions coming from Ally Shields (21), Barry McCarthy (11), Andy McBrine (10) and Graeme McCarter (10).
The Irish innings ended in just 40 overs on a disappointing score of 156 all out.
Best with the ball for Afghanistan were Javed Ahmadi (3-10) and Yamin Ahmadzai (3-31).
The Irish have a chance to turn in a much improved display when they take on Sri Lanka in Brisbane in the early hours of tomorrow (European time).