Afghanistan Stuns Pakistan in World Cup Upset, Secures First-Ever ODI Victory
Afghanistan defeated Pakistan handily at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, securing their second win in the esteemed competition. Their prior victory over the reigning champions England at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, had prepared the ground for this incredible accomplishment.
Afghanistan showed resoluteness in an eight-wicket triumph over Pakistan on Monday, October 23, in a World Cup upset that took place at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium. This momentous day, which represents Afghanistan’s first ODI victory over Pakistan, will live on forever in the history of cricket in that country.
Afghanistan’s spinners created the foundation for this triumph, particularly the youthful left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad, who recorded match-winning figures of 3/49 in his World Cup debut. Afghanistan’s opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran got off to a great start as they chased a historic 283 runs, putting up 130 runs in 21.1 overs.
After reaching a fifty-score (65 off 53 balls), Rahmanullah was eventually removed by Shaheen Afridi. But early in their pursuit, Afghanistan had a big edge due to the speed at which he scored runs. His opening partner, however, carried on with his deft batting, scoring 87 runs from 113 deliveries, including 10 boundaries.
Ibrahim was crucial to the outcome of the match once more. This time, he and Rahmat Shah combined to score 60 runs, which controlled the pace of play. After Ibrahim was dismissed, Rahmat Shah and Hasmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan’s captain, had the task of leading their country to victory. Together, these tough guys created a brave third-wicket partnership that helped lead Afghanistan to victory.
Earlier in the day, Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, won the toss and elected to bat first on a difficult pitch in Chennai with the intention of setting a formidable goal. Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq made a cautious start as the opening duo, scoring 56 runs for the first wicket.
But after the first ten overs, the match changed dramatically when both openers and ace wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan perished in the next fifteen overs. With the arrival of teenage spin star Noor Ahmad, the momentum shifted.
When Noor removed Shafique, who had once again hit a fifty in this event, in the twenty-third over of his World Cup debut, it was a major blow. Not long after, Noor’s deception also took hold of Rizwan.
Anchoring one end, Babar Azam put on a conservative display and notched up a rough fifty years. With an individual score of 74, he was removed in the 42nd over, though, putting Pakistan in danger of being limited to a total below 250. Though they lost seven wickets in their allocated 50 overs, the 1992 world champions were able to turn the tide because to quick contributions from Iftikhar Ahmed (40 off 27 balls) and Shadab Khan (40 off 38 balls).