Everything comes to those who wait. At the 11th time of asking, Ireland have recorded their first win of the summer after a thrilling chase in the first T20 international against Afghanistan at Stormont.

George Dockrell, one of the batsmen of the season, hit the winning boundary off the penultimate ball to finally end six weeks of hurt when they have had more than their fair share of near misses.

Before yesterday, Ireland had never successfully chased more than 140 in Belfast but a return to form for skipper Andrew Balbirnie and a fourth 50 in six innings in the No 3 role for Lorcan Tucker laid the platform for Harry Tector and Dockrell to pass Afghanistan’s 168 for seven in some style.

However, it was more relief than celebration when skipper Andrew Balbirnie spoke immediately after picking up the man of the match award.

Balbirnie said: “We’ve played some big teams this season and gone close so this was always going to be another tough test and it is a relief to finally get over the line.

“You have to get the right balance of a fast start and not losing wickets in the powerplay and we got that right. Everyone who came in had a clear plan and it worked out pretty well.“

Balbirnie had a top score of 14 in his last eight innings but he had matched that here from just seven balls, including a third ball six, and he celebrated passing that mini landmark with a second four in the over off Fazalhaq Farooqi, another bowler off the seemingly endless Afghan conveyor belt and who can swing the ball both ways.

With Paul Stirling, the openers passed 50 together for the first time since the T20 World Cup qualifiers back in February and it was frustrating that yet again Stirling holed out on the boundary after making such a comfortable start.

But losing the first wicket is never a panic for this Ireland team as it lets in Tucker who, not for the first time this season, played the most impressive innings of the day, with shots all round the wicket, seven of them boundaries, including a six over mid-wicket.

After another 60 runs partnership, Balbirnie picked out Farooqui in exactly the same position as Stirling had, but with a 50 beside his name the skipper was out of his slump although he denied he felt under pressure.

“Not really,” he said, “there is more pressure as captain of the team when you are not winning but if you are not scoring runs you are looking at different things in your technique but I actually went back to basics with (batting coach) Gary Wilson. It started pretty well and I kicked on and it was nice to get a few runs.”

Tucker was also out after reaching his 50 from 32 balls, at the end of the 18th over when Ireland still needed 23 to win. But Tector hit Farooqui for a six and with 13 needed off the last, another Tector boundary and a single was followed by back-to-back fours from Dockrell.

The Ireland bowlers had kept Afghanistan in check effectively for 19 overs, Barry McCarthy taking three of the seven wickets, but when Mark Adair conceded 21 from the last, everyone in green was fearing it would, yet again, be the difference between winning and losing.

This time it was a win for Ireland and they will try and do it again in match two tomorrow.