Rashid Khan sets THIS unique record, 1st time in 53 years…

New Delhi: Afghanistan’s mystical allrounder used to be in brilliant form for Afghanistan in the 2d ODI against South Africa in Sharjah on Friday. The star player took a fifer as Afghanistan made a stop to South Africa’s innings to just 134 while defending a total of 311. Following that, Rashid Khan turned into the primary cricketer in 53 years, making history in ODI cricket by taking a five-wicket haul on his birthday. Rashid turned 26 on Friday.

Before this, worthwhile figures by a bowler in ODIs were – four/12: Vernon Philander vs Ireland, Belfast, 2007 and 4/44: Stuart Broad vs Australia, Cardiff, 2010.

It used to be a marvelous display of the five-wicket haul by spinner Rashid Khan who helped Afghanistan make history on Friday by registering their first ODI series triumph against South Africa with a sensational 177-run victory in the 2d match of the three-match series here. The 177-run victory is Afghanistan’s biggest victory by runs in ODI, bettering the previous better of 154-run win against Zimbabwe. Afghanistan had won the primary match by six wickets on Wednesday and Friday’s victory gave them an unassailable 2-zero lead in the three-match series and a memorable series win over some other Test-playing nation.

Following the pitch reports and favourable conditions and electing to bat first, Afghanistan rode on a blazing century by opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz and half-centuries by Rahmat Shah (50) and Azmatullah Omarzai (86 not out) to post a challenging total of 311/four in 50 overs.

In reply, South Africa failed to capitalise on a seventy three-run opening partnership, suffering a middle and lower order collapse and used to be bundled out for 134 in 34.2 overs to suffer a big defeat with around 15 overs to spare. Rashid Khan ended with figures of 9-1-19-5 while Nangeyalia Kharote bagged 5-19 runs as Afghanistan scored a big victory.

After skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi opted to bat first, Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored his seventh hundred in ODIs, breaking Ahmad Shahzad’s record for most centuries by an Afghanistan batter.

He raised an 88-run partnership with fellow opener Riaz Hassan (29) for the primary wicket, polishing off his half-century in Fifty six balls. after which added one zero one-run for the 2d wicket with Rahman, who scored a 66-ball 50, hitting two boundaries in the process.

Gurbaz reached the milestone off 107 balls, hammering 10 boundaries and three maximums in the process. He survived a DRS referral on his by reason of a score of One zero five off 100 and ten balls prior to he used to be cleaned up by Nandre Burger with a length ball bowled from round the wicket that nipped back and struck the tip of the stumps as Gurbaz swung and missed.

Azmatullah Omarzai then took over the responsibility of scoring runs for Afghanistan as he blasted an unbeaten 86 off 50 balls, hitting five boundaries and 6 massive sixes that propped up the Afghanistan scoring and helped them reach a big total.

Chasing a target of 312, South Africa used to be off to a brilliant start with skipper Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi taking them to seventy three runs in 14 overs. Bavuma scored 38 off Forty seven deliveries, hitting four boundaries and one six.