Afghanistan 311 for 4 (Gurbaz 105, Omarzai 86*, Rahmat 50) defeated South Africa 134 (Bavuma 38, Rashid 5-19, Kharote 4-26) by 177 runs.
Afghanistan claimed a historic series win with a commanding 177-run triumph over South Africa in Sharjah, marking their first-ever victory against a top-five ICC-ranked team. After an impressive bowling display two days prior, Afghanistan followed up with a strong batting performance, posting their tenth total of 300 or more. South Africa was set a challenging target, but a dramatic collapse, losing 10 wickets for just 61 runs, led to their fifth-largest defeat by runs. Afghanistan now leads the series 2-0 with one match remaining.
Birthday boy Rashid Khan turned 26 and capped off a stellar day with his fifth career five-wicket haul. Afghanistan’s all-round excellence began with Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s seventh ODI century, followed by Rahmat Shah’s 29th ODI half-century, and Azmatullah Omarzai’s blistering knock of 86* off 50 balls, which included the fastest fifty by an Afghan player in ODIs. Omarzai’s powerful hitting contributed 93 runs in the last 10 overs, helping Afghanistan reach a formidable total. Rashid, alongside left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote, who took a career-best 4 for 26, then led the charge with the ball.
Afghanistan started strong after opting to bat, with Gurbaz and Riaz Hassan putting up an 88-run opening stand, followed by a 101-run partnership between Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah for the second wicket. South Africa’s spinners, Bjorn Fortuin and Aiden Markram, managed to keep the Afghan batsmen relatively quiet, but debutant leg-spinner Nqaba Peter and seamer Nandre Burger proved expensive, allowing Afghanistan to build momentum.
Gurbaz set the tone early, smashing a six and several boundaries, before settling into a more controlled innings. He struggled in the 90s but eventually reached his seventh ODI century, surpassing Mohammad Shahzad’s record for the most hundreds for Afghanistan in ODIs. Omarzai then took over in the final 10 overs, blasting sixes and helping Afghanistan post over 300.
South Africa’s chase started steadily with a 73-run opening stand between captain Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi, but once Bavuma fell, Rashid Khan and Kharote dismantled the batting lineup. Rashid picked up five wickets, including key players like Reeza Hendricks and Kyle Verreynne, while Kharote removed Hendricks and Fortuin. South Africa’s middle and lower order crumbled under the pressure, with all 10 wickets falling within 20.3 overs, sealing Afghanistan’s emphatic win.
