Afghanistan Achieves Their Largest ODI Victory by Runs After Dominating Zimbabwe
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New Delhi, Dec 19 (NationPress) Opener Sediqullah Atal struck his inaugural ODI century, while off-spinner A.M. Ghazanfar claimed 3-9, leading Afghanistan to their most significant victory in the 50-over format by a remarkable 232 runs against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club.
Batting first under a bright sun on Thursday morning, Atal and his partner Abdul Malik scored 104 and 84 respectively, forming a formidable opening partnership of 191 runs, propelling Afghanistan to a total of 286/6 in their allotted 50 overs. In their response, guided by Ghazanfar's exceptional bowling, Zimbabwe faltered and were skittled out for a mere 54 in 17.5 overs. This also marks the joint-lowest total at which Afghanistan has dismissed any opponent in their ODI history.
With this victory, Afghanistan takes a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, as the first ODI was abandoned due to rain. The team will be buoyed by the performances of Atal and Malik, especially with Ibrahim Zadran still recovering from an ankle injury and Rahmanullah Gurbaz missing the tour due to a quadriceps injury.
Atal and Malik's consistent boundary-hitting dismantled Zimbabwe's bowling attack with relative ease. Despite the dismissals of Azmatullah Omarzai and Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (29 not out) and Mohammad Nabi (18) ensured they surpassed the 280-run mark.
In defending the substantial total, Ghazanfar bewildered the Zimbabwean batsmen after Omarzai and Fazalhaq Farooqi wreaked havoc on the top order during the initial ten overs. Fast bowler Naveed Zadran sliced through the lower order, finishing with 3-13, cementing Afghanistan's overwhelming victory.
The concluding match of the series is scheduled at the Harare Sports Club this Saturday, after which both teams will head to Bulawayo for the Tests on Boxing Day and New Year’s.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan 286/6 in 50 overs (Sediqullah Atal 104, Abdul Malik 84, Newman Nyamhuri 3-53) defeated Zimbabwe 54 in 17.5 overs (Allah Ghazanfar 3-9, Naveed Zadran 3-13) by 232 runs.
