Afghanistan scripted history with a historic eight-wicket victory over Pakistan in the 23rd match of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. It was a remarkable day for Afghanistan as they secured their first-ever ODI win over Pakistan and their second triumph in this World Cup.
Chasing a challenging target of 283 runs, Afghanistan's openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, provided a blazing start. They appeared untroubled against the Pakistani bowlers, especially Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali. Their exceptional 130-run opening partnership laid the foundation for a successful chase.
The tone was set in the very first over when both openers found the boundaries, accumulating ten runs. Haris Rauf's introduction into the bowling attack only escalated Afghanistan's run-rate as Gurbaz smashed four boundaries in Rauf's first over.
Afghanistan was cruising at 60/0 after ten overs, all bowled by pacers. Pakistan struggled with both new-ball bowlers and spinners, notably Shadab Khan, who conceded 49 runs in his eight overs.
Ibrahim Zadran reached his fifth ODI fifty off 54 balls, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz achieved his fourth ODI fifty in just 38 balls. Their partnership featured 19 fours and a six, with Gurbaz's six coming against Iftikhar Ahmed.
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It took Pakistan 22 overs to claim their first wicket. Shaheen Afridi dismissed Gurbaz, providing a glimmer of hope for Pakistan. However, by the time Hasan Ali removed Ibrahim Zadran for a remarkable 87, Afghanistan had already taken 60 runs off the target.
Rahmat Shah and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi took charge after Zadran's departure. They battled against sharp spin and the Chennai heat, maintaining the run rate. Pakistan's pace bowlers, Rauf and Hasan, returned in vain for fresh spells.
Creating history, one victory at a time 🇦🇫#CWC23 #PAKvAFG pic.twitter.com/ImtYjnMvIQ
— ICC (@ICC) October 23, 2023
Rahmat Shah remained unbeaten with 77* off 84 balls, while Hashmatullah Shahidi, who struck the winning boundary against Afridi, finished with 48* off 45 balls. Pakistan's spinners struggled, conceding a combined total of 131 runs.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan posted a score of 282/7, led by Babar Azam's 30th ODI fifty and a fiery cameo from Iftikhar Ahmed. Afghanistan's spinners bowled 38 overs, the third-most in a World Cup match.
Afghanistan now looks ahead to their clash with Sri Lanka in Pune, hoping to secure more points in the tournament, as expressed by their captain Hashmatullah Shahidi in the post-match presentation.
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Pakistan vs Afghanistan result: Afghanistan win by eight wickets
Afghanistan scripted history as they defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the 22nd match of ICC ODI World Cup 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday.
Match Highlights
- Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam scored fifties to give impetus to Pakistan's innings initially.
- Noor Ahmad's spell of 10-0-49-3 sucked the momentum out of Pakistan's innings.
- Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed's late assaults of 40 helped Pakistan reach a competitive total of 282/7.
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran set the tone for Afghanistan's chase with an opening stand of 130 runs.
- Rahmat Shah saw things through for Afghanistan with an unbeaten knock of 77.
- Ibrahim Zadran was the top scorer for Afghanistan with 87 runs to his name.
Man of the Match | Pakistan vs Afghanistan result
Ibrahim Zadran was adjudged the Man of the Match for his dependable knock of 87 runs. He was involved in a 130-run opening stand with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and another 60-run stand for the third wicket with Rahmat Shah.
Pakistan vs Afghanistan final scorecard
Here is the final scorecard of the Pakistan vs Afghanistan result played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai:
Pakistan Innings: 282/7 in 50 Overs
| BATTING | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Abdullah Shafique | 58 | 75 | 5 | 2 | 77.33 |
| Imam-ul-Haq | 17 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 77.27 |
| Babar Azam (c) | 74 | 92 | 4 | 1 | 80.43 |
| Mohammad Rizwan †| 8 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 80 |
| Saud Shakeel | 25 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 73.52 |
| Shadab Khan | 40 | 38 | 1 | 1 | 105.26 |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | 40 | 27 | 2 | 4 | 148.14 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Extras | 17 |
| BOWLING | O | M | R | W | ECON | WD | NB |
| Naveen-ul-Haq | 7 | 0 | 52 | 2 | 7.42 | 3 | 0 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 8 | 0 | 55 | 0 | 6.87 | 0 | 0 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 10 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 3.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | 5 | 0 | 50 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| Rashid Khan | 10 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 4.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Noor Ahmad | 10 | 0 | 49 | 3 | 4.9 | 4 | 1 |
Afghanistan Innings: 286/2 in 49 Overs
| BATTING | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | 65 | 53 | 9 | 1 | 122.64 |
| Ibrahim Zadran | 87 | 113 | 10 | 0 | 76.99 |
| Rahmat Shah | 77 | 84 | 5 | 2 | 91.66 |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi (c) | 48 | 45 | 4 | 0 | 106.66 |
| Extras | 9 |
| BOWLING | O | M | R | W | ECON | WD | NB |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | 10 | 0 | 58 | 1 | 5.8 | 2 | 0 |
| Hasan Ali | 10 | 1 | 44 | 1 | 4.4 | 1 | 0 |
| Haris Rauf | 8 | 1 | 53 | 0 | 6.62 | 3 | 0 |
| Usama Mir | 8 | 0 | 55 | 0 | 6.87 | 2 | 1 |
| Shadab Khan | 8 | 0 | 49 | 0 | 6.12 | 0 | 0 |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | 5 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 5.4 | 0 | 0 |
