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Sharjah thrashing — Afghanistan inflict first-ever defeat on Proteas

Sharjah thrashing — Afghanistan inflict first-ever defeat on Proteas
Keanan Hemmonsbey
By Keanan Hemmonsbey
18 Sep 2024
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Afghanistan 107 for 4 (Naib 34*, Fortuin 2-22) beat South Africa 106 (Mulder 52, Farooqi 4-35, Ghazanfar 3-20) by six wickets.

The Proteas were dismantled by six wickets by Afghanistan as they suffered their first-ever loss to the Afghans. The victory means Afghanistan take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

It was a humiliating showing from South Africa, who after electing to bat first, were on 36 for seven in the 10th over before being bowled out for 106 runs.

It was South Africa’s first One Day International in nine months and the rust showed in the format as only two – Tony de Zorzi (11 off 18) and Kyle Verreynne (10 off 11) – of the top six crossing double figures.

An excellent rearguard 52 off 84 deliveries by Wiaan Mulder guided the Proteas to a 106 all out in under 34 overs to spare their blushes of being bowled out for their lowest ODI total — 69, suffered against Australia in 1993.

Nonetheless, the paltry score still cracked the top-10 lowest scores by SA in the format, ranking at No.8.

Afghanistan knocked the score off comfortably with six wickets and 24 overs to spare. Gulbadin Naib (34 off 27) and Azmatullah Omarzai (25 off 36) saw the Afghanistan side home.

The victory means Afghanistan have now beaten every Test-playing nation in white-ball cricket except India.

Batting capitulation


The wicket at Sharjah Cricket Stadium played slow and low, offering enough assistance to the Afghanistani spinners. So much so that Afghanistan gave the second over of the match to young off-spinner Allah Ghazanfar.

But the early breakthroughs came at the other end with the skiddy left-arm quicks of Fazalhaq Farooqi beating the defences of Reeza Hendricks (nine off 12) and Aiden Markram (two off five), who both chopped the ball on to their stumps.

De Zorzi went two overs later to Farooqi too, top-edging an attempted pull shot before Ghazanfar got in on the act.

The ball didn’t spin prodigiously, but the South African middle-order batter looked like fish out of water at the ball deviating off the surface.

Tristan Stubbs (zero off five), Verreynne and Jason Smith (zero off five) on debut all looked completely lost against Ghazanfar’s spin, as he ripped through South Africa’s numbers four, five and six.

Andile Phehlukwayo had a brain fade against Ghazanfar’s bowling, too, when he went for a stroll out of his crease after a blaring LBW appeal by the Afghanistan close fielders. He was subsequently run out by Naib who had collected the ball at slip.

Despite all the chaos at the crease, Mulder played a valiant innings as he reached his first half-century in Proteas colours, striking one six and five fours on his way to his highest international score.

Bjorn Fortuin (16 off 34) provided able support as the two put on an eighth-wicket partnership of 39.

It wasn’t enough though, as Farooqi, who exploited the around-the-wicket angle all day, came back to clean Mulder up and with it, South Africa’s chances of a respectable total.

Easy win


If South Africa were to make anything of the match, they would have to hold on to half chances. But the team failed to hold on to full chances too with De Zorzi dropping a tough one at short midwicket and Hendricks dropping a straightforward catch at slip off the bowling of Markram.

Those two instances summed up South Africa’s lack of match sharpness in the format.

Fortuin was very tidy with the ball as the Proteas’ main spin threat, collecting two wickets and conceding only 22 runs in his nine overs, but the Afghans were happy to see him off knowing that the SA side packed no other spin punch.

Lungi Ngidi also picked up a wicket in the first over of the innings and conceded only six runs in his four overs to return neat figures, but wickets were all that mattered with Afghanistan chasing a score so small.

They didn’t come, as Markram collected a consolation wicket as well. The full-strength Afghanistan side made light work of a somewhat experimental South African outfit. DM

South Africa have a chance to level the series when the two sides meet on Friday at the same venue.

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