Afghanistan registers historic 177-run victory over South Africa in the 2nd ODI
Centuries from Gurbaz, Rashid Khan but Afghanistan end up trampling South Africa into submission
This was one glorious 2nd ODI between Afghanistan and South Africa in the Afghanistan v South Africa series in UAE; Afghanistan outclassed South Africa by a massive margin of 177 runs. This was, in fact, one of the most complete victories in the cricketing history for Afghanistan, which underlined their emergence as a competitive force in the ODI format as well.
Afghanistan’s Dominant Batting Performance
Afghan response was a batting masterclass wherein they could post an intimidating total of 311/4 from their allotted 50 overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the man of the match for him anchored the Afghan innings with some brilliant runs, which read 105 off 110 balls as he produced 10 boundaries and 3 sixes during his stay at the crease. Gurbaz’s inning was simply crucial for a good platform of Afghanistan, mainly in the early overs.
Along with Gurbaz, Riaz Hassan was paddling around early but somehow scored 29 off 45 balls before getting trapped lbw by Aiden Markram. The early dismissal of Hassan was not enough to upset the balance of Afghanistan as well because Rahmat Shah added a very well-constructed 50 off 66 balls. His partnership with Gurbaz started to add stability to the Afghanistan innings and kept the scoreboard ticking despite South Africa trying to contain them.
Fireworks approached the end of Afghanistan’s innings where Azmatullah Omarzai scored a blazing knock, scoring 86 off just 50 balls. The batsman was aggressive on the strike including 6 fours and 5 sixes; this propelled Afghanistan to cross the 300 run mark. Mohammad Nabi took it further with quick 13 off 19 balls, and Rashid Khan added 6* off 12 deliveries to take Afghanistan’s innings into 311/4.
South Africa’s Struggle With the Ball
South Africa’s bowling did not come good against Afghanistan’s batting on a flat UAE wicket. The bowlers were not able to break the big partnerships while the spinners could not make any inroads as the ball did not turn much. Lungi Ngidi was the better of the bowlers, taking 1/50 in his 10 overs, though he ran up 5 runs per over. Nandre Burger had one of his toughest days, going over with just 1 wicket in his full quota of 10 overs costing him 68 runs. Similarly, Nqaba Peter went over with just 1 wicket in his full quota of 10 overs by conceding 68 runs.
Bjorn Fortuin and Wiaan Mulder were quite conservative as Fortuin leaked only 39 runs from his 10 overs. Still, that was not enough to restrain Afghanistan. The score gained by Gurbaz and late blitz from Azmatullah overcame South Africa’s bowling department.
Collapse of South Africa in the Chase
In pursuit of a challenging total of 312, South Africa’s batting lineup suffered a collapse at the hands of Afghanistan’s tight bowling. The South African innings experienced an early collapse as skipper Temba Bavuma scored 38 runs off 47 balls; around him wickets were falling, including at the hands of Afghanistan’s bowlers, particularly Rashid Khan and Nangeyalia Kharote, through the middle and lower order.
Tony de Zorzi tried to stabilize the innings with 31 off 44 balls before losing to Rashid Khan. South Africa’s star batsman, Reeza Hendricks, had nothing going in his way as he could only score 17 off 34 balls before getting bowled by Nangeyalia Kharote. Aiden Markram, after him, also went cheaply for 21 runs while Tristan Stubbs managed just 5 runs to have the middle order of South Africa collapse in the face of a spree of Afghanistan spinners.
Wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne of South Africa could not make his presence felt as he was lbw to Rashid Khan without any run made on the board. The hectic plight of South Africa was further hurt by the unfruitful inning of Wiaan Mulder which consisted of mere 2 runs off 7 balls.
Nangeyalia Kharote was deadlier with the ball as he picked up 4 wickets for 26 runs from 6.2 overs to clean up South Africa’s tail. Lungi Ngidi could score only 3 runs while Nandre Burger could score just 1 run not out. South Africa were bowled out for a paltry 134 in 34.2 overs, handing Afghanistan a massive 177-run victory.
Bowlers Dominate the Afghanistan Derby
Afghanistan’s bowling lineup was at its best, especially with Rashid Khan taking the center stage. In his 9 overs, he took 5 wickets and gave away just 19 runs. He bashed through the middle order of South Africa, while his economy rate sat neatly at 2.10. Nangeyalia Kharote also starred with 4 wickets, while Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai took a single each.
Rashid Khan led the way as he again bashed South African batsmen with the variation and accuracy which many times came to trouble them. His capability to pick wickets at regular intervals kept putting pressure on South Africa, who lost all opportunities of coming back into the game after losing the top-order batsmen early in the innings.
A Big Leap for Afghanistan Cricket
A commanding victory that Afghanistan secured, and by 177 runs against a side like South Africa, is a significant landmark in the cricketing journey of the country. Such an achievement, anchored on collective batting or bowling brilliance, speaks of developing strength and depth into Afghanistan’s bagged squad.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz century, Azmatullah Omarzai’s bold attack, and Rashid Khan’s spin magic, it was a match-winning triumph for Afghanistan, putting the team into a very good position in the series. The victory also goes as a morale booster to the side, who seem to be staking claims as a force to reckon with in the cricketing arena around the globe.
Future End
The Afghanistan victory will actually set the tone for the rest of the series, where South Africa will be needing to regroup quickly enough in order to bounce back. Afghanistan has a testimony to their growing prowess in the ODI format. They will look to carry this good momentum into the other games.
With a perfect mix of senior players and upcoming talents, Afghanistan is now making their presence felt in the world arena, and that win against South Africa was another small stride forward in their cricketing journey.
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