Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rashid Khan Rally Afghanistan to EPIC ODI Series Victory Over South Africa

Afghanistan has been on a roll lately and emerging as a top Asian cricket powerhouse. After a special performance in the ICC tournaments and defeating top draws like Australia, the Afghan Atalans have been in delightful form and are making history lately. The Hashmatullah Sahidi-led side locked horns with the World Cup finalists South Africa in Sharjah, and the Afghan side put up a dazzling performance against South Africa. Not only did they defeat the side, but they also made history in the process after winning their first-ever ODI series against a top international side.

Also Read: ‘Feel Bad for Virat’: Manjrekar Upset for ‘Dejected’ Kohli’s Dismissal During the 1st IND-BAN Test

Afghanistan Secure Historic First ODI Series Win vs South Africa at Sharjah

Afghanistan made history at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium after they secured their maiden ODI series against South Africa. The Afghans took up a solid 2-0 lead against the Temba Bavuma-led side in the three-match series at Sharjah. The Afghan Atalans defeated the Proteas with a massive run margin of 177 runs as the hosts took advantage of the visitors' shambolic batting and scalped their wickets on critical occasions.

Rashid Khan, the star bowling all-rounder, had a spectacular outing on his 26th birthday, as he was an absolute beast with the ball. He put up solid figures on the board with 9-1-19-5 and took the wickets of Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Wiaan Mulder & Kyle Verreynne. With the spectacular figures of 5/19, he has officially entered the history books after becoming the bowler who has the best ODI figures on his birthday. he surpassed South Africa's Vernon Philander's figure of 4/12 against Ireland in 2007.

Also Read: Transformed Chepauk pitch offers a fever-dream for pacers as Bumrah shines during IND-BAN test

Speaking of the match, Afghanistan chose to bat first, with openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Riaz Hassan ideally setting up the stage with an 88-run partnership. Gurbaz went on to score his seventh ODI ton in the match and was the driving force for Afghanistan as they batted. After Gurbaz, Azmatullah Omarzai and Rahmat Shah put up big numbers on the board. The Afghans ended the innings with 311 runs at the loss of 6 wickets on the scoreboard.

Apart from Rashid Khan's spectacular spell, The Afghans were once again delighted by Nangeyalia Kharote, who achieved an exceptional figure of 6.2-0-26-4. He dismissed lungi Ngidi, thereby ending the game's play.