In the third and final ODI of the Afghanistan tour of South Africa in the United Arab Emirates 2024, South Africa clinched a much-needed 7-wicket victory at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium to avoid a series whitewash. After losing the first two games, the Proteas showed resilience with both bat and ball, cruising to a comfortable win.

Afghanistan struggles to post a competitive total

Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Afghanistan’s innings never gained momentum as wickets tumbled at regular intervals. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the standout performer for Afghanistan, scoring a brilliant 89 off 94 balls. He held the innings together with his composed knock, which included 7 fours and 4 sixes. However, there was minimal support from the rest of the batting lineup.

Abdul Malik (9 off 19), Rahmat Shah (1 off 6), and Hashmatullah Shahidi (10 off 17) all failed to make significant contributions. The middle order collapsed as Azmatullah Omarzai (2), Ikram Alikhil (4), and Mohammad Nabi (5) fell cheaply. It was only a late cameo by Allah Ghazanfar, who smashed a quickfire 31 off 15 balls, that pushed Afghanistan’s total to 169 in 34 overs. Ghazanfar’s knock, including 2 fours and 3 sixes, provided some respectability to the score, but it was far from enough.

South Africa’s bowling was disciplined, with Lungi Ngidi, Nqabayomzi Peter and Andile Phehlukwayo leading the charge. Ngidi picked up 2 wickets for 22 runs in 6 overs, while Peter and Phehlukwayo also took 2 wickets, conceding 22 and 17 runs in 5 and 4 overs, respectively. Bjorn Fortuin also chipped in with a wicket as the South African bowlers put in a solid performance.

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Aiden Markram anchors South Africa’s chase

Chasing 170 for victory, South Africa began cautiously but lost early wickets. Tony de Zorzi contributed 26 off 31 balls, while captain Temba Bavuma made 22 off 28 before both were dismissed. Reeza Hendricks (18 off 31) also fell cheaply, leaving South Africa at 80/3.

However, Aiden Markram stood tall and guided the chase with a well-paced 69 not out off 67 balls, which included 4 fours and 3 sixes. His composed innings ensured there was no further drama as he found a steady partner in Tristan Stubbs, who added 26 off 42 balls to finish the match comfortably. The duo stitched together an unbeaten partnership that sealed the game for South Africa in 33 overs with 7 wickets in hand.

South Africa reduces the deficit of ODI series loss with victory in last match#AFGvSA #cricket #ODI #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/qLdjRxD4cD

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Player of the Series

Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s excellent series with the bat earned him the Player of the Series award. Afghanistan won the series 2-1, making it a memorable one for them, but South Africa will take solace in ending the tour on a high with commanding victory in the last game.

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