Afghanistan beat South Africa for the first time ever on Wednesday. Now the country looks to clinch its three-match ODI on Friday.
Afghanistan, facing South Africa in bilateral competition for the first time, picked up its first win over the Proteas on Wednesday in the first of three one-day international (ODI) matches at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The series continues at Sharjah on Friday. South Africa, ranked No. 3 in the International Cricket Council’s world rankings, was without captain Temba Bavuma — out with an illness — and struggled with the bats. The Afghan Atalans entered the series No. 9 in the world and is coming off a sixth place finish at the 2023 ICC World Cup, its best ever.
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Match Date: Sept. 20, 2024
Match Time: 7 a.m. ET
TV: Willow TV
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Fazalhaq Farooqi and 18-year-old Allah Mohammad Ghzanfar sparked the Afghan Atalans on Wednesday to a six-wicket victory, the nation’s first over South Africa in any format. Farooqi took four wickets early in the match, setting the tone for Afghanistan, while Ghanzafar held the Proteas to just 20 runs in 10 overs while taking three wickets. Gulbadin Naib tallied 34 runs in 27 balls to lead the Afghan Atalans with the bat.
Wiian Mulder kept South Africa in the match with 52 runs in 84 balls before he was bowled out, but Bjorn Fortuin’s 16 runs was the next-highest total for the punchless Proteas. Fortuin took two of the four wickets South Africa had, allowing only 22 runs in nine overs.
Bavuma’s status for Friday is unclear. If he is again sidelined, Aiden Markram — also South Africa’s T20I captain — will again step in. Afghanistan has the top-ranked ODI allrounder in the world, Mohammad Nabi, who is also ranked fifth among ODI bowlers. Keshav Maharaj, the No. 1 bowler in the world, is unavailable for South Africa while he plays in the Caribbean Premier League.
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