Birthday-boy Rashid Khan turned 26 and took his fifth career five-for to top off a day of excellence for Afghanistan in all departments. Their celebrations began with Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s seventh ODI century, followed by Rahmat Shah’s 29th ODI half-century and then Azmatullah Omarzai’s fastest fifty in the format. Rashid Khan celebrated his 26th birthday in the grandest way possible as the Afghans took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Omarzai reached his half-century off 32 balls, ended unbeaten on 86 off 50 balls and led Afghanistan’s charge of 93 runs in the last ten overs to post a challenging total. While Rashid Khan headlined their bowling, he shared his success with left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote, who finished with a career-best 4 for 26.
Pitch and Toss
Pitch Report: The boundary is 70 yards all around. Looks a flat surface. Touch on the slower side it seems. The spinners might play a massive role. LBW and bowled might be the common mode of dismissals. Need to bring the stumps into play.
Toss : Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and chose to bat with Rahmanullah Gurbaz opening the batting and Gulbadin Naib being rested. Temba Bavuma who was bowling first made two changes in the Playing XI with himself included in the team.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz ton propels Afghanistan to 311 for 4
Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s seventh ODI century followed by a blistering 86* from Azmatullah Omarzai and the nine wickets Rashid Khan and Nangeyalia Kharote shared saw Afghanistan thump South Africa by 177 runs for their biggest win in ODI cricket history. On a good batting track, Afghanistan opted to have a go first. After a cautious four overs upfront, Gurbaz decided to turn on the heat on South African pacers as he took on Lungi Ngidi and Nandre Burger for 10 and 11 runs each, scoring a six and three boundaries combined off them.
South Africa promptly brought on spin to try and slow things down, but Rahmanullah Gurbaz only grew more confident with each shot and reached a 56-ball half-century just after the drinks break. Aiden Markram, however, struck at the other end to break the vital opening stand of 88 in the 18th over by trapping Riaz Hassan LBW on 29.
Rahmat took a couple of overs to get his eye in, and then the second-wicket pair kicked up the scoring. With at least a boundary in each of the next seven overs – including Gurbaz’s two maximums – Afghanistan added 58 runs in quick time.
Gurbaz quietened down for a couple of overs but when Wiaan Mulder was brought on in the 21st over, he could not resist a charge down. He hit Mulder over long-on for his second six. What followed was an electric display of shots from both Gurbaz and Rahmat in a stand that seemed to drain South Africa. Rahmat reverse paddled Markam to third and flicked Mulder fine for four, Gurbaz lofted Peter over mid-off, mid-wicket and swept Fortuin to deep backward square to edge towards 90.
Then, the nerves kicked in. He spent 18 deliveries in the 90s and seven of those on 99, including a maiden over from Fortuin, as he inched towards his milestone. He got there when he swept Markram behind square leg and his response was as emotive as they come. Gurbaz dropped his bat and then himself to his knees in sajdah, and then composed himself to create a heart-shape with his hands and blow a kiss to the changeroom and a spirited Sharjah crowd.
However, in the next over, he swung at a Burger ball, missed and was bowled to end an exceptional knock. This is also the third successive year in which Gurbaz has scored two hundreds. With this knock, Gurbaz has most ODI hundreds for Afghanistan, surpassing Mohammad Shahzad (6).
Afghanistan’s 200 was up after 36 overs, and they would have been eyeing a total in excess of 300. Peter made it difficult for them before the last ten overs and picked up his first ODI wicket when he dragged his length back as Rahmat advanced on him, and had Rahmat stumped on 50.
Omarzai’s intent in the final period was clear when he hit Mulder over long-off for six two balls into the last 10. He sent Peter in the same area twice, and then hit him over mid-wicket for his fourth six and the shot that brought up his half-century, off 32 balls. Mohammad Nabi was little more than a spectator in the 55-run stand with Omarzai but when he tried to smash an Ngidi slower ball, he skied to Bavuma to depart for 13.
That brought Rashid Khan to the crease and he was in immediate trouble, albeit not caused by the bowlers. He hit Ngidi to sweeper cover and ran two but pulled up at the end of the second run with what looked like a hamstring concern. He received treatment on the field, skied the next ball he faced, which Peter couldn’t get to, and then held his hamstring again. Rashid Khan stayed with Omarzai as he took Afghanistan over 300, and any problems he had with his fitness did not show in the field.
Birthday Boy Rashid Khan’s 5-fer set up huge 177 runs series victory over South Africa.
South Africa’s chase got underway steadily with returning captain Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi’s opening stand of 73 in 14 overs. But Bavuma’s dismissal and then Rashid’s introduction into the attack sparked an almighty collapse. Bavuma top-edged a pull off an Omarzai short ball and the high catch was well judged by Mohammed Nabi.
Bavuma departed before he even had a chance to face Rashid Khan, who was given the ball in the 18th over and caused problems with his first ball which teased Reeza Hendricks’ outside edge. Four balls later, de Zorzi tried to drive Rashid Khan through the covers but edged to Ikram Alikhil.
Stunned by spin, South Africa went into their shell and scored only 11 runs in the next four overs as pressure built. When left-arm spinner Kharote was brought on in the 23rd over, Hendricks looked particularly out-of-sorts when he stayed back in his crease to play for turn and was bowled. In the next over, Tristan Stubbs was given out on review when he gloved a sweep off Rashid Khan to Nabi at leg slip.
Two balls later, Kyle Verreynne failed to pick the wrong ‘un and was out lbw and Markram was left with the lower-order. Mulder was Rashid Khan’s fourth victim, beaten as he stayed back, and Fortuin was bowled by his counterpart Kharote off one that stayed low. At 112 for 7, there was no way back for South Africa.
Rashid Khan’s fifth came when he bowled Markram with a googly. Kharote took wickets either side of that to leave South Africa floored. They lost all ten wickets in the space of 20.3 overs.
The South African openers made a positive start, and Tony de Zorzi was the aggressor in their 73-run stand that lasted 14 overs and set the Africans a solid platform. Azmatullah provided the much-needed breakthrough and that opened the floodgates. South Africa had only managed to crawl to 83/1 by the 18th over when Rashid Khan joined the party and removed the other set batter as well. Reeza Hendricks was beaten by a beauty from Kharote as the left-arm spinner also got on the board in his opening over. From there on it was a rapid slide.
Rashid’s double-wicket over saw Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne sent back in quick succession, leaving South Africa in tatters at 107/5, with another 205 to get in 26 overs. With the two spinners operating in tandem, South Africa struggled to score freely and crumbled against the scoreboard pressure. Birthday boy Rashid Khan registered his fifer by cleaning up Markram, who was ninth dismissed. And Kharote wrapped up the formalities in the next, keeping the Africans to just 134 in reply, and finishing with his career-best 4/26 in the process.
Rashid Khan also had a dream day with the ball in hand after he stunned the Proteas with masterful figures of 9-1-19-5. Chasing 312, South Africa had to break West Indies’ record for the highest successful run-chase (285) in Sharjah, which was set way back in 1993. But the visitors crumbled big time under pressure and were shot out for 134 in 34.2 overs.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Hashmatullah Shahidi the winning skipper said : Congratulations to the whole nation for this fantastic series win. Everyone in the team and throughout the country will be very happy with this win. I think all of them were good, the way Gurbaz started and then the partnership with Rahmat, and then Azmat took the momentum away from them.
They started well but I knew when the spinners come on, they will deliver for me. That happened with Rashid and Kharote. (On Rashid Khan’s hamstring injury) He is good and hopefully he will play the next game. You continue to pray for the team, we will continue to deliver.
Temba Bavuma the loosing skipper said : For the openers, the job was to lay the foundation. We started well with Tony and myself, but then the spinners came in. Overall, not a good enough performance, not a good showing for us. We take the learnings and try to be as positive as we can, there is another opportunity for the guys to show what they can do out here. Overall, we need to be better.
I think Omarzai played well, put us under pressure and the foundation was shared by Gurbaz. We had two guys in our team who got in and laid the foundation, but couldn’t carry on.
Birthday Boy Rashid Khan is Player of the Match for his 5 wickets said : Fifer after long time and I had a hamstring injury as well since a month, but I wanted to stay in the ground and help the team. It was a big opportunity for us to win an important series, so I wanted to contribute. I enjoy bowling with youngsters, I share my ideas with them and the best part is they listen and learn quickly.
And now they have started to deliver. Great to see youngsters coming up and showcasing their talent. (On playing with a hamstring injury) We had a big opportunity to win a series and the love for the game pushes you to play, I thought I was able to bowl and stay on the field, good job done by the physio as well.
It was a no contest today. Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat in good conditions. Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored a superb century and was well supported by Rahmat Shah who got a fifty, and Omarzai added the gloss with a 50-ball 86 to finish with a strong total of 311. In reply, South Africa started well as they didn’t give any wickets away to Ghazanfar this time. The opening partnership was worth 73, but then Bavuma skied a pull shot and that opened the floodgates.
The pitch got slower and started to grip, and then the spinners got into the game. Rashid Khan struck in first over, as he and Nabi kept things tight. New boy Nangeyalia Kharote also struck in his first over, as South Africa seemed clueless against the spinners. Rashid ended with figures of 5/19 as Kharote finished with 4/26. Nobody barring Markram made any real contributions in the South African middle order, as they succumbed to one of their worst defeats in ODI cricket.
Third ranked South Africa have not just been beaten, they have been bamboozled and broken by a resplendent Afghanistan. Not even the most fanciful writers with the most mystical of storylines could have scripted the success story that the world is seeing of this Afghanistan cricket team. Beating England and Pakistan in a one off game in the World Cup could have been termed as a fluke, but the concerted effort through which these splendid sons stormed through in the T20 World Cup and now in this bi-lateral series is no fluke.
It is just the story of an extremely aspirational and attritional side, that dreams of the sun and isn’t afraid of getting burnt in the process. All this while most in cricket and even outside of it don’t know when they’d have their new day of complete normalcy in Afghanistan. They used to be the whipping boys of cricket about half a decade back, but now they have started to lash back, leaving deep gashes on any opponent who takes them lightly!!
Somewhere in the wilderness of the Tora Bora mountains, it feels like there has been an unofficial passing of the torch between Pakistan and Afghanistan for Asian cricket’s supremacy. As we see Pakistan at their nadir, Afghanistan could have never soared higher. Whisper it slowly, but Afghanistan might genuinely be the second best team now in Asia.
They always had the talent, but now they have the results to show for it. But most importantly, they have the confidence to look the big boys in the eye and rightfully claim their spot on the big boy table. Long may their upsurge continue, it only makes international cricket more competitive and unpredictable
Afghanistan completed their most high-profile bilateral series win and their first against a team ranked in the ICC’s top five with a 177-run victory over South Africa in Sharjah. After dominating South Africa with the ball two days ago, Afghanistan repeated the dose with the bat on Friday and posted their tenth total of 300 or more to ask South Africa to complete their sixth-highest successful chase.
A collapse of 10 for 61 meant South Africa did not even get close and recorded their fifth-biggest defeat by runs. Afghanistan lead the series 2-0 with one match remaining.