PAK 201 (47.1)

AFG 59 (19.2)

Pakistan won by 142 runs

PLAYER OF THE MATCH

Haris Rauf


Haris Rauf's scorching fast bowling session on a slow wicket dashed Afghanistan's dreams of earning their first-ever ODI victory over Pakistan. The 29-year-old fast got 5 for 18 - his first five-wicket haul in the format - to knock Afghanistan out for 59 - their second-lowest total in ODIs - in a chase of 201.

As has become somewhat traditional for Shaheen Afridi, he failed to score in his opening over. But he made up for it by getting two strikes in his next over to get rid of Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah on consecutive throws. After being bowled by Shadab Khan to end Afghanistan's innings at 4/3, captain Hashmatullah Shahidi became the third Afghan hitter to record a duck.

Ikram Alikhil edged behind a quick delivery as Rauf entered the bowling attack for just the eighth over of the innings, and he struck with the very next ball. Rahmanullah Gurbaz should have also been removed by Rauf after he started with two maidens, but Pakistan neglected to challenge a caught-behind dismissal. As soon as he made a similar delivery that shaped in from a length and caused Gurbaz to play and edge it behind, he knew he had Gurbaz.

Rashid Khan lost his off-stump after being outpaced for pure speed in Rashid Khan's fifth over, which saw Rauf add the scalps of Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan. Off just his 38th ball, he claimed his fifth wicket, effectively capping off Pakistan's commanding 142-run victory and subjecting Afghanistan to the humiliation of being bowled out in less than 20 overs.

At the midway point, Afghanistan seemed to be the happier side, but the ecstasy of bowling Pakistan out for the first time didn't last long for the Shahidi-led side, as three of their top four were down for a duck inside four overs. Gurbaz put up some resistance but was finally knocked down by a peach of a delivery from Haris Rauf. To be honest, Afghanistan never showed up in the second part of the game and must now win the final two games to secure the series. Shaheen's double-wicket maiden, Shadab's sensational catch, Haris Rauf's first-ball wicket, Nabi and Rashid all out in three balls. Pakistan's bowlers, headed by Rauf's five-for, generated opportunities and left no space for recovery from the start.

During the powerplay, Pakistan's fast bowling has been on fire. And if they are able to do this on a slow surface, hitters should be extremely concerned about what they will be able to produce in Perth or Durban.

Afghanistan has bowled Pakistan out in an ODI for the first time. Spin has totally entangled their opponents. Mujeeb got the ball rolling with early wickets of Babar and Rizwan. Four of the top three were out in the first eight overs, indicating that the pressure had reached the middle order. Though Imam attempted to resuscitate the innings with a 50-run partnership for the fifth wicket, the spinners never let Pakistan off the hook.

Brief scores: Pakistan 201 in 47.1 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 61, Shadab Khan 39; Mujeeb-ur-Rahman 3-33, Mohammad Nabi 2-34) beat Afghanistan 59 in 19.2 overs (Haris Rauf 5-18, Shaheen Afridi 2-9) by 142 runs

Hashmatullah Shahidi: We would have also batted first. The pitch appears to be dry, and we anticipate that it will turn, so it should be valuable to us. Our unit has been performing well, particularly the bowlers, and we are now ready to confront the major teams.

Babar Azam: We'll bat first since the pitch appears to be a little dry, so it'll be nice to get some runs on the board. All we have to do is trust in ourselves and play with a clean mind. We have plans for the Asia Cup and the World Cup, but there are still a few young players we want to try out, which is why we have a team of 18.

Team Watch

Teams:

Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Abdul Rahman, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Pakistan (Playing XI): Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf

Squads:

Pakistan Squad: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Usama Mir, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Agha Salman

Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Ikram Alikhil, Wafadar Momand, Abdul Rahman, Riaz Hassan, Noor Ahmad