Gurbaz, Ibrahim, Rahmat boss 283 chase in Afghanistan’s first ODI win over Pakistan

Coming into their fifth game of the 2023 World Cup, Afghanistan had not beaten Pakistan in an ODI in seven attempts. They had run them close on at least two occasions but had to suffer one heartbreak after another. But on probably the biggest stage of them all, Afghanistan finally managed to break the hoodoo. And they did it, in Chennai, by eight wickets chasing down 283 with six balls to spare, crafting their highest successful chase in ODIs in the process.

Batting first on a surface that didn’t have a blade of grass, Barbar Azam had no hesitation in batting first. Babar and Abdullah Shafique’s fifties backed up by excellent cameos from Ifthikar Ahmed and Shadab Khan helped Pakistan post a formidable 282 for 7.

In reply, Afghanistan were switched on like men on a mission. Rahamanullah Gurbaz  and Ibrahim Zadran posted a 130-run stand for the opening wicket, with both batters scoring fifties. Once they exited, it was the turn for Rahamat Shah and Hashmatullah Shaidi to shepherd the chase and close it in 49 overs.

Brief Scores:
Pakistan 282/7 in 50 overs (Babar Azam 74, Iftikhar Ahmed 40, Shadab Khan 40, Abdullah Shafique 58, Saud Shakeel 25; Naveen ul Haq 2-52, Noor Ahmad 3-49) lost to Afghanistan 286/2 in 49 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 65, Ibrahim Zadran 87, Rahmat Shah 77*, Hashmatullah Shahidi 48*; Hasan Ali 1-44) by eight wickets