Afghanistan first restricted Pakistan to 282 for 7 and later chased down the target comfortably in the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023.
The ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 witnessed another surprising upset as Afghanistan, who had never beaten Pakistan, secured their second victory of the tournament with an 8-wicket win. This is the first win for Afghanistan against Pakistan in eight ODIs.
The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai hosted this thrilling match, where Afghanistan first restricted Pakistan to 282 for 7 in their allotted 50 overs. They later chased down the target comfortably, thanks to solid batting and some lapses in the Pakistani fielding.
Pakistan's third consecutive loss, following defeats against arch-rivals India and Australia, drew attention from Indian fans, who took to social media to taunt the Men in Green. Some even requested the DJ in Chennai to play the iconic "Dil Dil Pakistan" song at the stadium.
In the match, Afghanistan's openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, provided a strong start in the second innings. However, their partnership came to an end in the 22nd over when Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Gurbaz for a quick 65 off 53 balls. Rahmat Shah entered and formed a steady partnership with Zadran, contributing to another 50+ partnership before he was dismissed for 87 runs.
Following this, Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi built another 50-run partnership, marking the first time Afghanistan had three 50+ partnerships in a World Cup match.
Earlier, Pakistan chose to bat first, and late contributions from Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan helped them post 282/7 in 50 overs. Both players scored 40 runs each, while Pakistan's captain, Babar Azam, anchored the innings with 74 runs (92 balls) before being dismissed by Noor Ahmad.
Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique provided Pakistan with a solid start, adding 56 runs for the opening wicket before Azmatullah Omarzai removed Imam for 12 (22). Babar Azam and Shafique continued to build the innings before Noor Ahmad broke their 104-run partnership. Shafique was trapped LBW after contributing 58 runs (75 balls).
Noor struck again shortly, removing wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan for 8 runs (10). Mohammad Nabi added another wicket to his tally, dismissing Saud Shakeel for 25 (34). Babar Azam's resistance was also brought to an end with a score of 74 (92).
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