Ireland Wolves will likely have to win their two remaining games to have any chance of reaching the final of the Tri-Series in Abu Dhabi but there was nothing to indicate that will be possible after a crushing seven wickets defeat by Afghanistan A on Thursday.

More than 400 runs were scored in the game but it lasted less than 75 overs as the Wolves were bowled out at the start of the 42nd over for 203 and the Afghans knocked off the runs with a third of the innings remaining.

The Wolves batting lacked discipline and patience with even top scorer Chris Defreitas (64) dropped on 20 and 48, and the bowling was never threatening enough to trouble an Afghanistan side who had been bowled out for 248 in the first game against Sri Lanka A on Tuesday.

Tom Mayes (1-24) was the pick of the attack, indeed when he made the initial breakthrough at the start of his fourth over he had figures of one for five. But after a cautious start, Afghanistan went through the gears bringing up the 100 in the 17th over and by the time Jordan Neill broke the brutal second wicket stand it had put on 93 in just 70 balls.

Sediqullah was the big hitter, five sixes and three fours in his 52 from just 31 balls, taking a particular liking to Wolves captain Gavin Hoey who was hit for 27 in his first two overs.

Zubaid Akbari (76) was the Afghans’s top scorer although he also enjoyed a life on 64 when caught off a Liam McCarthy no-ball, but by that stage, it was virtually game over. Cian Robertson, the other player, along with De Freitas, getting a first game,  held a return catch off Akbari, but captain Darwish Rasooli, who scored 155 in Afghanistan’s opening game, was still there. He duly hit the winning boundary.

It had all started so promisingly for the Wolves after being put into bat. With Sam Topping and Scott Macbeth left out, Cade Carmichael was promoted to opener and with Stephen Doheny put on 50 in just eight overs, the latter welcoming spin into the attack with two sixes. But in the same over, Carmichael was caught and bowled and when Doheny drove straight to cover in the next over, suddenly it was 54 for two.

Leg spinner Qais Ahmad accounted for Morgan Topping, with a googly and Ben Calitz with successive balls in his first over to reduce the Wolves to 74 for four. Neill hit a run-a-ball 27, with two sixes and a four, in a fifth wicket stand of 62 with de Freitas and Ross Adair hit back to back sixes in his 21 from 18 balls, but he was stumped with the total on 179.

In the previous over, de Freitas’ luck had run out, missing with a sweep shot and the end came quickly with captain Gavin Hoey last man out, caught behind pulling Khalid Ahmad, the sixth Afghan bowler to take a wicket.

It’s the Wolves second match against Sri Lanka A who, in direct contrast to Ireland, have two wins out of two so far, next up on Saturday (7am).