In the first ODI against Afghanistan at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, South Africa endured a dismal batting performance, collapsing to just 105 all out after opting to bat first. Offspinner Allah Ghazanfar and left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi were the standout bowlers, each claiming three wickets during the Power Play. Their impressive spells left the South African lineup reeling, unable to recover from early setbacks.
Wiaan Mulder’s career-best 52 from 84 balls (5×4, 1×6) spared some of South Africa’s blushes but it was a dismal overall performance having chosen to bat first.
Left-arm seamer, Farooqi, bowled with great skill on a slow, low pitch persuading both Reeza Hendricks (9) and Aiden Markram (2) to drag full, wide deliveries onto their stumps attempting to drive while Tony de Zorzi (11) top-edged an ill-advised pull shot to mid on against the same bowler.
Eighteen-year-old Ghazanfar then took over having Tristan Stubbs (0) caught at slip via a ricochet off the keeper’s gloves before bowling ODI debutant Jason Smith for another duck.
Ghazanfar bowled his full 10 overs without a break to finish with the remarkable analysis of 10-2-20-3 while Farooqi finished with 4-35 from seven overs after bowling Mulder in his second spell.
Kyle Verreynne (10) struck two fours before missing a quicker delivery from Ghazanfar which kept low and trapped him lbw before the nadir of the innings which saw Andile Phehlukwayo run out for the third duck of the innings as he wandered aimlessly out of his crease with the ball in the hands of slip fielder Gulbadin Naib who had the simplest of jobs to lob it onto the stump.
South Africa limped to a pitiful 37 for seven at the end of the first 10-over Power Play with the game seemingly already lost.
Wiaan Mulder understandably went into full defensive mode collecting just four singles from his first 21 balls while Bjorn Fortuin attempted to counter-attack with a couple of swept fours to register an eighth wicket partnership of 39 before Fortuin was bowled by the great Rashid Khan for 16 from 34 balls.
Mulder drove Rashid for a defiant six and added five fours as he desperately tried to drag the total towards respectability.
Nandre Burger offered stout support in a non-scoring capacity as he required 18 deliveries to score his first and only run.
South African captain, Aiden Markram, deputising for regular ODI captain Temba Bavuma who was ruled out of the match due to illness, noted the ‘dryness’ of the pitch at the toss so there was little doubt the Proteas knew what to expect in the conditions. Afghanistan’s selection of no less than four specialist spinners to South Africa’s one in Fortuin.
AFGHANISTAN: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wkt), Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Allah Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Nangeyalia Kharote
OUTH AFRICA: Tony de Zorzi, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (captain), Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wkt), Jason Smith, Wiaan Mulder, Andile Phelukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi
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