In a major turn of events, Afghanistan defeated South Africa in second One-Day international, winning series for the first time on Friday.
This 177-run victory came two days after Afghanistan beat the Proteas for the first time in ODI series opener of the series by six wickets.
Thanks to the wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz and T20I format captain Rashid Khan’s heroics in bowling and batting department, respectively.
Gurbaz contributed by scoring 105 runs, becoming the first Afghan batter to smash seven ODI hundreds.
Continuing with the innings, Azmatullah Omarzai made 86 runs off 50 balls after six towering sixes and five boundaries.
Other players, including Riaz Hasan made 29 runs, Rahmat Shah scored a half-century while Mohammad Nabi contributed 13 runs to the total and Rashid Khan ended the innings after scoring six runs.
The losing-side bagged four wickets in total, with Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger, Nqabayomzi Peter, and Aiden Markram taking one wicket each.
After giving their best performance, the rising team of Afghanistan made 311/4 in first innings, which the Proteas were unable to chase, being all-out for 134 in the 35th over.
Injured Rashid, on the other hand, celebrated his 26th birthday by taking down five wickets and allowing the team to score 19 runs in nine overs.
“I had a hamstring (injury), but I tried my best to stay on the ground and do my best for the team,” Rashid said. “It was a great opportunity for us to win the series against a big team … I really enjoy youngsters like Kharote and (Allah) Ghazanfar, we share ideas with them. It was great to see youngsters coming up and showcasing talent on the big stage against South Africa.”
Chasing the target, Temba Bavuma and Co. were all out in the 35th over.
The highest score was made by the captain Bavuma of 38 runs against 47 deliveries, majority of them were not even close to 20 runs.
Hashmatullah Shahidi expressed delight after winning the series for the first time.
“Congrats to our nation,” captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said. “We’re happy here and all people back home will be happy. In the batting, the way Gurbaz started and then Rahmat and Omarzai carried on, all of them were very good. When it comes to bowling, I know the spinners will deliver it for me.”
However, Bavuma was disappointed with the performance in the post-match presentation.
Meanwhile, the third match of the series is scheduled on Sunday in Sharjah.
