Pakistan Skittles Afghanistan for 59
Pakistan Skittles Afghanistan for 59-On Tuesday, Afghanistan’s innings were dismantled by Pakistan as they were dismissed for 59 runs, leading to a 142-run victory for Pakistan in the first One-Day International (ODI).
Securing this win, the Pakistani team has established a 1-0 lead in the ODI series, which consists of three matches and is being held in Sri Lanka. Afghanistan is hosting this series due to security concerns preventing them from hosting international cricket in their own country.
Haris Rauf achieved a five-wicket performance after Pakistan set a target of 202 runs. Afghanistan’s batting lineup was dismissed for just 59 runs in 19.2 overs.
This marks Afghanistan’s second-lowest score in ODIs.
Haris Rauf, wearing Pakistan’s colors, attained his first-ever five-wicket haul, claiming figures of 5-18 in 6.2 overs.
In the second over of Afghanistan’s batting, Shaheen managed to take two wickets in consecutive deliveries, setting a strong tone for Pakistan.
Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan managed to take one wicket each.
For Afghanistan, their top run-scorer was Rahmanullah Gurbaz with 18 runs.
During Pakistan’s batting in the first innings, Imam-ul-Haq’s resilient innings and Shadab Khan’s late heroic efforts enabled Pakistan to set a target of 202 runs for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s bowlers significantly challenged Pakistan’s top order on a challenging spinning track. In the opening over, Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissed Fakhar Zaman, immediately putting Pakistan in a difficult situation.Babar Azam, Pakistan’s captain and the number one ODI batter, fell victim to Mujeeb ur Rehman’s spin delivery in the following over.
Mohammad Rizwan and Imam held their ground at the crease for a brief period, contributing only 33 runs together. Mujeeb also managed to dismiss Rizwan (21) with an LBW decision that raised some doubts on social media.
Iftikhar Ahmed, who often plays the finisher’s role in the team, had the responsibility to stabilize the score this time. Alongside Imam, he managed this task well, and Imam also completed his 17th ODI half-century. Together, they accumulated 50 runs off 69 balls, providing Pakistan with some relief.
The right-handed batsman was eventually out after scoring 30 runs. This was when Rashid Khan entered the scene, creating opportunities against Iftikhar. Eventually, Iftikhar fell to Mohammad Nabi’s bowling in the 27th over.Rashid and Nabi both secured two wickets each, making a significant contribution to Afghanistan’s bowling effort.
Imam and Shadab formed their third partnership of the day, adding 40 runs together. Imam’s control faltered against Nabi, resulting in a catch at mid-on that was taken by Rashid. Imam, who survived two consecutive dropped catches, managed to score 61 runs off 94 balls.
Shadab then found support from tailender Naseem Shah, who had previously troubled Afghanistan in last year’s T20 Asia Cup. Naseem hit back-to-back sixes on the last two match-deciding balls from Fazalhaq Farooqui, achieving an incredible victory for Pakistan.
Naseem and Shadab contributed 34 runs off 47 balls before Shadab was run out.
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Rahmat Shah secured the final wicket, dismissing Haris Rauf as Afghanistan managed to bowl out Pakistan for the first time in ODIs.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first against Afghanistan.
🚨 T O S S A L E R T 🚨
Pakistan win the toss and elect to bat first 🏏#AFGvPAK pic.twitter.com/G2MphaT01D
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 22, 2023
Playing XI
Pakistan: Imamul Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam(C), Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Aga, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zardan, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Abdul Rehman, Ikram Ali.