COLOMBO: A collective bowling effort after Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s half-centuries, led Pakistan to the top of the ODI Rankings with a clean sweep victory in the PAK vs AFG ODI series.
Set to chase 269 in the third PAK vs AFG ODI, Afghanistan could only raise 209 despite Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s brisk half-century.
The hosts got off to a dismal start to the pursuit as they lost their in-form batters Rahmanullah Gurbaz (5) and Ibrahim Zadran (0)in the 10th over with just 30 runs on the board.
Following back-to-back dismissals, Afghanistan’s new opener Riaz Hassan was then joined by captain Hashmatullah Shahidi and the pair raised 30 runs for the third-wicket stand.
The pair batted cautiously before Shadab Khan sparked a collapse in Afghanistan’s batting lineup by removing both batters in the same over.
Riaz scored a cautious 34 off 66 deliveries while Shahidi scored a 31-ball 13.
Afghanistan then lost three more wickets in quick succession and slipped to 97/7 in 32.1 overs with both Mohammad Nabi (3) and Rashid Khan (16) back into the dugout.
Coming out to bat at number nine, Mujeeb Ur Rahman glimmered a ray of hope for the depleted Afghanistan side as he launched a counterattack on the Pakistan bowlers with belligerent hitting.
He put on an astonishing 57-run partnership with Shahidullah to keep Afghanistan in the hunt.
Mujeeb dominated his eighth-wicket stand with Shahidullah by scoring the majority of the runs while the latter batted cautiously before eventually falling victim to Shadab Khan in the 40th over.
Shahidullah struck two boundaries on his way to a 65-ball 37.
Meanwhile, Mujeeb continued dominating Pakistan bowlers with clean hitting and soon put on another vital partnership for Afghanistan as he added 45 runs for the ninth-wicket stand with Fareed Ahmad before finally perishing in the 46th over.
He top-scored for Afghanistan with a quickfire 37-ball 64 which featured five boundaries and as many sixes.
Pakistan ace pacer Shaheen then wrapped a dominant 59-run victory for Pakistan as he castled Fareed (17) in the penultimate over.
Shadab Khan led the bowling attack for Pakistan with 3/42 while Shaheen, Faheem and Nawaz bagged two each.
Opting to bat first in the third PAK vs AFG ODI of the three-match series, led by Pakistan 2-0, the green shirts accumulated 268/8 at the back of anchoring half-centuries by Babar and Rizwan.
Pakistan’s opening pair of Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq failed to provide a solid start to their side as they could raise 36 runs before returning Gulbadin Naib dismissed the former in the ninth over.
He could score 27 off 33 deliveries, laced up with five boundaries.
Naib then struck again in the 13th over to get rid of in-form Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq, who scored a scratchy 13 off 30 deliveries, hitting only one boundary.
With the side reeling at 52/2 in 12.5 overs, Babar Azam was joined by Mohammad Rizwan at the crease and the duo knitted an anchoring partnership for the third wicket.
Babar and Rizwan added 110 runs amid their cautious stand with both scoring half-centuries before Rashid Khan provided a much-needed breakthrough to Afghanistan, dismissing the Pakistan captain.
He smashed four boundaries and a six on his way to an 86-ball 60.
Babar’s dismissal opened the floodgates for Pakistan as they lost four wickets in quick succession, including their mainstay Mohammad Rizwan, and slipped to 189/6 in 41 overs.
Rizwan remained the top-scorer for Pakistan with a 79-ball 67 which featured six boundaries and a six.
Following the slump, Mohammad Nawaz and Salman Ali Agha stitched a vital 61-run partnership for the seventh wicket and added crucial runs at a brisk rate in the death overs before Nawaz fell in the penultimate over.
He scored a brisk 25-ball 30, hitting two boundaries and a six.
Meanwhile, Agha carried his bat all the way through with a 31-ball 38, which included four boundaries and a six.
Fareed Ahmad and Gulbadin Naib bagged two wickets each for Afghanistan in the third PAK vs AFG ODI while Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan made one scalp each.
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