Superb Afghanistan seal historic win over Pakistan.
Delhi: Afghanistan pulled another major upset at the Cricket World Cup, defeating struggling Pakistan by eight wickets to win two games in the same tournament for the first time. After upsetting England eight days ago, the ninth-ranked Afghans celebrated their third World Cup victory on Monday, the other coming against Scotland in their debut appearance in 2015.
Chasing 283 to win, Afghanistan rode on the back of impressive innings from Ibrahim Zadran (87), Rahmat Shah (77 not out), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65) and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (48 not out) to reach their target with six balls to spare.
Pakistan made 282-7 after winning the toss and electing to bat against a spin-heavy foursome, with captain Babar Azam (74) and Abdullah Shafique (58) collecting half-centuries.Pakistan finishers Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan ensured a good finish for their team as they smashed big boundaries in the final overs to take their team’s score to 282/7 after 50 overs. Noor Ahmad clinched 3 crucial wickets to derail Pakistan batters, but Afghanistan pacers were not that effective. Afghanistan, on the other hand, have a solid bowling line-up in the spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who can take full advantage of the conditions at Chepauk
It was Pakistan’s first loss in a one-day international (ODI) against Afghanistan, surpassing the country’s previous best ODI chase of 274 against the UAE nine years ago
