South Africa Triumphs Over Afghanistan in Final ODI to Avoid Series Sweep

In a determined display, South Africa managed to avert a series sweep by defeating Afghanistan by seven wickets in the third and concluding One Day International (ODI) of their series. The match took place at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on September 22, 2024, with South Africa achieving victory with 102 balls to spare, thereby rounding off the series at 2-1 in favor of Afghanistan.

Aiden Markram emerged as a key figure for South Africa, delivering an undefeated 69 from 67 balls. His performance provided the backbone for South Africa’s successful pursuit of Afghanistan’s modest total of 169 runs. However, the hosts’ innings had initially been characterized by batting collapses, reminiscent of South Africa’s earlier matches in the series, where they only managed scores of 106 and 134.

In the post-match discussions, Afghanistan’s captain Hashmatullah Shahidi expressed satisfaction over the series win but noted disappointment about missing out on a clean sweep. “I would be more happy if we would have won this match,” Shahidi said, pointing to the three crucial run-outs as a significant setback.

Afghanistan had opted to bat first in the match, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz spearheading their innings. Gurbaz contributed 89 runs off 94 deliveries, emerging as the solitary top-order batsman to surpass a score of 10. Despite his efforts, his teammates struggled, with many falling to run-out positions.

The absence of Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s ace leg-spinner, was felt as he did not participate due to a hamstring injury. This left Afghanistan’s bowling attack lacking some intensity, although AM Ghazanfar provided a late spark with an aggressive 31 not out from 15 balls, helping Afghanistan reach 169 in 34 overs.

South Africa’s bowlers, including Lungi Ngidi and Nqabayomzi Peter, played instrumental roles, each securing two wickets, while Andile Phehlukwayo also contributed with disciplined bowling. Their efforts were complemented by crucial fielding that led to three run-outs, disrupting Afghanistan’s batting lineup.

The South African innings started with a 40-run partnership between Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi, setting the foundation to control the power play effectively before both were dismissed by Afghanistan’s bowlers. Reeza Hendricks‘ form continued to disappoint as he was caught out for 18.

A comprehensive partnership between Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs ensured a steady pursuit of the target, culminating in a match-winning 90-run stand. Stubbs remained not out on 26, complementing Markram’s confident knock.

Reflecting on the series, South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma said, “We were quite clinical with the bat. In terms of the series, not what we planned for, (but) the guys will take a lot of experience and learning from it.” This victory provided South Africa with a fighting morale booster after their series loss.