South Africa achieved a successful run-chase, although it wasn’t clinically executed. While pursuing a modest target, the openers provided a solid start with 57/0 in the initial powerplay.
However, both openers were dismissed in quick succession. Rassie van der Dussen and Markram formed a fifty-run partnership, appearing comfortable until Rashid’s breakthrough ended their stand, also dismissing the dangerous Klaasen. Despite the pressure exerted by Rashid, the other spinners couldn’t maintain the same intensity.
Nabi removed Miller, leaving South Africa with over 60 runs to secure the victory. Rassie remained composed at one end, and Phehlukwayo, recovering from a shaky start against the spinners, confidently hit boundaries against Naveen-ul-Haq.
They successfully concluded the match with 15 balls to spare. In the earlier innings, Afghanistan, choosing to bat, found themselves at 116/6, but 23-year-old Azmatullah Omarzai’s impressive batting ensured a respectable total. Unfortunately for Afghanistan, it proved insufficient, as South Africa faced a challenging but ultimately successful pursuit.
In the end, South Africa won the match by five wickets, and Rassie van der Dussen was declared player of the match for his sensible batting.
After the match, the winning captain, Temba Bavuma, went on to say that my leg is sore. I don’t know to what extent, but it’s going to have to be fine. I had the option of coming off. I wanted to be out there with the guys.
Earlier, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and opted to bat against South Africa in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday in Ahmedabad.
A remarkable innings from 23-year-old Azmatullah Omarzai has put Afghanistan in a competitive position on the scoreboard. Choosing to bat, Afghanistan had a decent start with 41 runs in the first eight overs, but faced a setback with the loss of three wickets in as many overs.
South Africa’s tight bowling caused a significant drop in the scoring rate. Afghanistan found themselves in trouble at 116/6, despite Azmatullah’s earlier partnership of 49 runs with Rahmat. Azmatullah then built two more 40+ run partnerships, first with Rashid and then with Noor.
In the death overs, he accelerated the scoring, particularly targeting Ngidi. Although Azmatullah fell just three runs short of a century, he ensured Afghanistan had a challenging total to defend. Maharj maintained his economical bowling, and Coetzee claimed a four-wicket haul for South Africa, while Rabada remained wicketless. Ngidi left the field with an ankle problem during his initial spell.