Afghanistan once again shined at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. On Monday (October 23) night, Afghanistan beat Pakistan by eight wickets to record their first ODI win against Pakistan in the eighth ODI meeting.
Unlike some of their recent close defeats against Pakistan, Afghanistan majorly dominated the latest game at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, where Chennai experienced a dominating run-chase for Afghanistan.
Pakistan vs Afghanistan: Pakistan 282/7 in 50 overs
After Pakistan elected to bat first, they scored 282/7 in 50 overs. Captain Babar Azam scored 74 runs in 92 balls (four fours and only six), while the opener Abdullah Shafique scored 58 off 75 balls (five fours and two sixes).
Among the Afghan bowlers, Noor Ahmad took three wickets on his ODI return as the youngster had bowling figures of 10-0-49-3. Also, the pacer Naveen-ul-Haq had the bowling figures of 7-0-52-2.
Pakistan vs Afghanistan: Afghanistan 286/2 in 49 overs
In reply, all the top four Afghan batters dominated chasing. Openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz set up a 130-run partnership for the first wicket. Later, Zadran had a 60-run partnership for the second wicket with Rahmat Shah. The 96-run unbeaten partnership for the third wicket between Rahmat Shah and the skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi helped the Afghan side seal the game comfortably.
While Gurbaz scored 65 in 53 balls with the help of nine fours and only six, Zadran scored 87 runs in 113 balls with 10 fours. Meanwhile, Shah scored 77 not out in 84 balls with five fours and two sixes. Also, the skipper Shahidi remained not out on 48 runs in 45 balls with four fours.
After recently beating the defending champions England, Afghanistan secured their second win at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 by defeating Pakistan. Here are some crucial stats of the match.
Pakistan vs Afghanistan World Cup 2023 Match Stats:
Six in the powerplay
Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique smashed an over-boundary during the first powerplay of the match (4.3 overs). It was Pakistan’s first six after 1169 balls in the first powerplay of the ODI cricket.
Noor Ahmed – 2nd youngest bowler to claim a 3-wicket haul in an ODI World Cup match
The 18-year and 293-day-old left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmed finished the game with the bowling figures 10-0-49-3. After the 18-year and 88-day-old offspinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman (3/39 vs Bangladesh in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019), Noor became the second youngest bowler to record a three-wicket haul in an ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match.
Afghanistan openers’ 2nd highest ODI World Cup partnership
Afghanistan openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz had a 130-run partnership for the first wicket. It was the second-highest partnership for Afghanistan in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. Their record partnership was a 133-run against West Indies during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
Ibrahim Zadran – 2nd highest score for Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup
Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran scored 87 runs. It was the second-highest score by an Afghanistan cricketer in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup history. The record is 96 runs by Samiullah Shinwari at Dunedin at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
Hashmatullah Shahidi – 2nd best Afghan captain knock in the ODI World Cup
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi scored 48 not out. After his 80 runs against India in this tournament, Shahidi’s unbeaten 48 was the second-highest score by an Afghanistan captain in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup history.
Afghanistan’s highest ODI chase
Afghanistan successfully chased the 283-run target (286/2). It was the highest successful chase in ODI cricket for Afghanistan. Their previous successful ODI chase record was 274 runs target (276/8 vs UAE in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015).
Afghanistan’s 2nd highest ODI World Cup total
Afghanistan’s 286/2 (49 overs) was the second-highest total in their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup history. Their record is 288 all out in 50 overs (vs West Indies at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019).
Afghanistan’s historic ODI win vs Pakistan
After beating Scotland (2015) and England (2023), Afghanistan claimed their third ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup victory after winning against Pakistan.
It was Afghanistan’s first ODI win against Pakistan.
It was Afghanistan’s fourth international cricket victory against Pakistan. Previously, they beat Pakistan in three T20Is.
