ODI World Cup 2023

'Lumber one team done and dusted' - Fans react as Afghanistan registers thumping win against Pakistan by eight wickets in ODI World Cup 2023

With this win the Afghanistan have now risen to sixth spot on the points table in ODI World Cup 2023 with two wins in the five games played so far.

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Sarah Andrew
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Afghanistan Cricket team (Source: Twitter)

Afghanistan Cricket team (Source: Twitter)

Match number 22 of the ODI World Cup 2023 saw the 1992 World Cup winners, Pakistan up against the spirited Afghanistan side. The match ended in an exciting finish as Afghanistan triumphed over Pakistan by eight wickets. This is Pakistan's third consecutive loss in the ODI World Cup 2023 and it is also the second win for Afghanistan. With this win, Afghanistan have now risen to sixth spot on the points table. 

After winning the toss, Pakistan's captain, Babar Azam, chose to bat first. The opening pair of Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique had a strong start, managing to maintain a good pace throughout the batting powerplay. However, after Imam was dismissed, Shafique and Babar Azam steadied the innings, but Shafique fell to Noor Ahmad, followed quickly by Mohammad Rizwan while attempting a sweep off Noor's delivery.

Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, Babar played a brilliant innings of 74 runs. Some power-hitting by Iftikhar Ahmed (40) and Shadab Khan (40) helped Pakistan reach a total of 282 runs in their allotted 50 overs, in the process showcasing a strong batting performance.

Batting brilliance from Afghanistan steals the show

In pursuit of the target, Afghanistan had a sensational beginning, with openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran forging a formidable partnership of 130 runs for the first wicket. They dominated the Pakistani pace bowlers during the powerplay, consistently finding boundaries, and were also aided by some fielding lapses.

Pakistan's premier fast bowler, Shaheen Afridi, provided a crucial breakthrough in the 22nd over by dismissing Gurbaz, who had scored 65 runs, but he had already played a significant role. Following Gurbaz's exit, it appeared that Pakistan's bowlers might stage a comeback.

However, that wasn't the case, as Zadran continued his outstanding performance and added 60 runs with Rahmat Shah for the second wicket. Hasan Ali eventually removed Zadran in the 34th over, with the right-hander falling just 13 runs short of a century. Nonetheless, the match was already decided in Afghanistan's favour, as Rahmat and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi combined to create a match-winning partnership of - runs for the third wicket, ultimately leading the team to an 8-wicket victory with 6 balls remaining.

Let us look at how Twitter has reacted to this loss from Pakistan;

 

 

Babar Azam Pakistan