Sharjah
Afghanistan made history by securing their first-ever series victory against a top-five ICC-ranked ODI team, defeating South Africa by 177 runs in the second match. This win also marked Afghanistan’s largest margin of victory in ODI cricket, surpassing their previous record of 154 runs against Zimbabwe in 2018.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz played a key role, scoring his seventh ODI century, the most by any Afghan batter. He was well-supported by Rahmat Shah, who contributed 50 runs, and Azmatullah Omarzai, who scored an impressive 86 not out, marking the fastest half-century by an Afghan player in ODIs, achieved in just 32 balls. Afghanistan finished with a competitive total of 311/4, their sixth-highest score in ODIs.
With the ball, Rashid Khan celebrated his 26th birthday by taking five wickets and dismantling South Africa’s batting lineup. Nangeyalia Kharote also excelled, claiming four wickets in only his third ODI. South Africa collapsed dramatically, going from 73/0 to being bowled out for just 134 runs.
Afghanistan will aim for a historic whitewash in the final ODI against South Africa today.
Brief Score: Afghanistan 311/4 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 105, Azmatullah Omarzai 86; Aiden Markram 1/20) beat South Africa 134 (Temba Bavuma 38, Tony De Zorzi 31; Rashid Khan 5/19).
