Superlative performances from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Azmatullah Omarzai with the bat bookended with a surgically accurate spin-bowling clinic have won Afghanistan their first ODI series against South Africa.

Conditions were relatively better for batting in Sharjah this time around, and Hashmatullah Shahidi opted to bat first. The openers added 88 together, but Riaz Hassan couldn’t quite race out of the blocks during his stay. But both he and Gurbaz did well to stave off the Proteas bowlers and add 88 runs together. It took the introduction of Aiden Markram’s part-time spin to finally break the stand. But that would bring in the experienced Rahmat Shah, who would brilliantly lay down the platform alongside the hard-hitting Gurbaz.

During the 34th over, Gurbaz brought up a fantastic 7th ODI ton. But even after his dismissal, Afghanistan were never going to relent. The aggressive allrounder, Azmatullah Omarzai, immediately got going and hammered a couple of maximums off Mulder and Peter. The assault continued towards the back end, as all the bowlers got a taste of his power hitting. He’d end up unbeaten on 86, as the hosts crossed the 300 threshold with ease.

It was always going to be a difficult chase on the cards, as the pitch was gradually getting slower and lower. 312 was definitely an imposing total, but Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi got off to a confident but watchful start.

Early on, de Zorzi regularly found the boundary, but Bavuma caught up rather quickly. The openers added a total of 73, but that was the only highlight of the Proteas’ innings. After Bavuma holed out to Mohammed Nabi at deep square leg, the innings would rapidly spiral out of control.

The introduction of birthday boy Rashid Khan brought forth a hurricane of wickets. Three overs later, de Zorzi was the next to go. Reeza Hendricks scratched around for a 34-ball 17, until Nangeyalia Kharote’s left arm spin knocked him over.

Rashid burst through the middle order, trapping Verreynne and Mulder LBW, but the icing on the cake was castling Markram with a beautiful googly, giving him his fifth wicket.

Kharote claimed three of the final four wickets, and that sealed the 177-run victory.

Afghanistan have gone from strength to strength, while SA’s weaknesses against spin have been brutally exposed yet again. There’s one more game remaining in this series, and that’s on Sunday. Be sure to tune in. 

AFG 311/4 in 50 overs (Gurbaz 105, Omarzai 86*)

SA 134 all out in 34.2 overs (Bavuma 38, de Zorzi 31 – Rashid 9-1-19-5, Kharote 6.2-0-26-4)