Afghanistan pulled off their second major shock of the Cricket World Cup on Monday when they sent Pakistan crashing to an eight-wicket defeat. Chasing 283 to win, Afghanistan rode on the back of impressive innings from Ibrahim Zadran (87), Rahmat Shah (77 not out), Rahmatullah Gurbachan (65), and skipper Hashmat Ullah Shahidi (48 not out) to reach their target with six balls to spare. Afghanistan, who stunned defending champions England earlier in the tournament, and Pakistan both now have 2 wins and 3 losses from their five group games.
Earlier, Pakistan finishers Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan ensured a good finish for their team as they smashed big boundaries in the final overs to take their team’s score to 282/7 after 50 overs. Noor Ahmed clinched 3 crucial wickets to derail Pakistan batters, but Afghanistan pacers were not that effective. Noor Ahmed continued his great bowling as he dismissed Pakistan skipper Babar Azam to clinch his third wicket of the day. Babar Azam was trying to increase the run rate in the final overs of the game when Noor Ahmed dismissed him.
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Highlights:
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and decided to bat first. Pakistan openers Abdulla Shafiqul and Imam-ul-Haq started well for Pakistan. Azmatullah Omarzai got the first wicket as he dismissed Imam-ul-Haq, and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam walked on the crease. Young Noor Ahmed clinched the second wicket for Afghanistan as he dismissed Abdulla Shafiqul. Another wicket for Noor Ahmed as Muhammad Rizwan is walking back to the pavilion. Afghanistan reached a team total of 50 in the eighth over. Afghanistan scored 60 runs in the first powerplay. Afghanistan scored 100 runs in the 16th over. Shaheen gets the wicket of Gurbachan. Hasan Ali gets the wicket of Zadran.
This victory marked a historic milestone for Afghanistan as it was their first ODI victory against Pakistan, highlighting Afghanistan’s growing stature in international cricket. The match saw significant contributions from both teams. For Afghanistan, the young spinner Noor Ahmad was particularly impressive, taking three crucial wickets, including that of Pakistan’s skipper, Babar Azam. Pakistan’s Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique put up a strong performance, with Azam scoring 74 runs and Shafique contributing 58 runs, but it wasn’t enough to tilt the match in Pakistan’s favor.
The win had significant implications for the tournament standings, causing Pakistan to drop to fifth place and Afghanistan to climb to sixth, while England, the defending champions, fell to the bottom of the World Cup table. This match is reminiscent of Afghanistan’s growing prowess displayed in their win against England earlier in the tournament and their first-ever World Cup match win against Scotland in 2015.
Afghanistan’s strategic decision to include four spinners in the match played a crucial role in their victory, keeping the run rate in check and putting pressure on Pakistan’s batting lineup. Post-match reactions were a mix of immense joy and disappointment, with Afghanistan’s captain Hashmatullah Shahidi praising his team’s professional performance and Pakistan’s Babar Azam expressing disappointment at his team’s bowling effort. ” please thoroughly fact check each sentence in the the write up using internet.
