Afghanistan made history by defeating South Africa by 177 runs in the second ODI in Sharjah, taking an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the series. Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s outstanding century helped Afghan post 311 runs, while Rashid Khan, on his birthday, claimed a five-wicket haul. South Africa were bowled out for 134, securing Afghanistan’s win. Let’s look at the key stats from this historic match:
Key Stats from the Match
Afghanistan’s First Major Win
1 – Afghanistan’s historic ODI series win:
This victory marks the Afghan first-ever bilateral ODI series win against a top-five ICC-ranked team. South Africa, ranked third in men’s ODIs, fell to Afghanistan’s dominance. Afghanistan has previously won 13 bilateral ODI series, but those came against Zimbabwe (five times), Ireland (four times), Scotland (twice), and Bangladesh and the Netherlands (once each).
177 – Largest win margin:
Afghan 177-run victory is their biggest margin of victory in men’s ODIs. Their previous best was a 154-run win against Zimbabwe in 2018, also played in Sharjah.
South Africa’s Unwanted Record
Afghanistan is now the ninth team to secure a bilateral men’s ODI series win against South Africa. Zimbabwe and Ireland are the only two Full Member teams yet to defeat South Africa in an ODI series.
1 – South Africa’s lowest totals in consecutive ODIs:
This is the first time South Africa has been bowled out for under 150 in back-to-back men’s ODIs. They managed just 106 in the first ODI and 134 in this match.
9 – Spin mastery by Afghanistan:
South Africa lost nine wickets to Afghanistan’s spinners, tying the record for the most wickets lost to spin in a men’s ODI. The Indian spinners had a similar record against South Africa in 1999 in Nairobi.
Rashid Khan’s Birthday Feat
1 – Rashid Khan’s birthday heroics:
Rashid Khan became the first player in men’s ODIs to take a five-wicket haul on his birthday. Previously, Vernon Philander and Stuart Broad had taken four-wicket hauls on their birthdays.
5 – Rashid’s five-wicket hauls in ODIs:
This was Rashid’s fifth five-wicket haul in ODIs. Only three spinners have taken more in men’s ODIs – Muthiah Muralidaran (10), Shahid Afridi (nine), and Saqlain Mushtaq (six).
Gurbaz’s Record-Breaking Century
172 – Azmatullah Omarzai’s strike rate:
Azmatullah Omarzai had a strike rate of 172 during his unbeaten 86 off 50 balls. This is the highest strike rate in an ODI innings for Afghanistan, considering a minimum of 50 balls faced, and also the highest against South Africa by any batter.
7 – Gurbaz’s century count:Gurbaz now has seven ODI centuries. Only Sachin Tendulkar and Quinton de Kock, both with eight centuries, have more hundreds before turning 23 in men’s ODIs. Virat Kohli also had seven by this age.
1 – Most hundreds for Afghanistan:
Gurbaz now holds the record for the most ODI hundreds in Afghanistan, surpassing Mohammad Shahzad’s six centuries. In international cricket, Gurbaz’s eight centuries across formats make him Afghan’s leading century-maker, ahead of Shahzad’s seven.
This victory further cements Afghanistan’s growing strength in international cricket, with both individual and team records piling up.
Also Read: How Rangana Herath’s Insight Helped New Zealand Dismiss Karunaratne
