A career-best five-wicket haul from Pakistan’s star pacer Haris Rauf on Tuesday helped Pakistan demolish Afghanistan by 142 runs in the first One-day International match of three-match series in Hambantota, Sri Lanka.
Pakistan has seized a 1-0 advantage in the three-match series against Afghanistan, marking their first bilateral game. The ensuing matches are expected to take place in Colombo on both Thursday and Saturday. The attention shone on Haris Rauf’s stunning performance, as he managed a devastating 5-18 in just 6.2 overs. This outstanding display led to Afghanistan’s second-lowest One Day International (ODI) total of 59 runs, achieved in 19.2 overs. Notably, Pakistan had earlier been dismissed for 201 runs in 47.1 overs.
Haris Rauf continued his demolition spree following Shaheen Shah Afridi’s rapid removal of Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah, both bowled out in successive deliveries during the third over. Naseem Shah joined the fold, removing Afghanistan’s skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi without contributing any runs. Rauf then stepped in to complete the demolition of Afghanistan’s lineup.
Rauf’s amazing performance included taking the wickets of Ikram Alikhil, top scorer Rahmanullah Gurbaz (18), Mohammad Nabi (7), Rashid Khan, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, finishing the thorough rout. This effort outshone Rauf’s previous best of 4-65, achieved against England in Birmingham back in 2021. Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi concluded with a commendable 2-9.
Afghanistan’s lowest total in all ODIs sits at 58, which occurred against Zimbabwe in Sharjah in 2016. Prior to the Rauf show, Rahman has proven to be the major disruptor for Pakistan. The 22-year-old managed to eliminate the world’s number one batsman, Babar Azam, with just three balls, finally securing figures of 3-33. Additionally, Mohammad Nabi claimed 2-34 and Rashid Khan took 2-42.
Pakistan’s much-celebrated batting lineup experienced issues on the sluggish Hambantota stadium pitch. Only opener Imam-ul-Haq achieved a huge 61 runs in 94 balls. Shadab Khan (39) and Iftikhar Ahmed (30) also participated, seeking to put up opposition. Pakistan’s innings, however, were characterized by inconsistency. After losing opener Fakhar Zaman early on, Rahman removed both Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in his maiden spell. Imam-ul-Haq’s partnership with Ahmed scored 50 runs for the fifth wicket, followed by another 40 runs with Shadab. Unfortunately, Nabi swiftly dismissed both Imam-ul-Haq and Iftikhar Ahmed in succession. Haq’s 17th half-century came with just two boundaries.
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