Sport
South Africa win last game of ODI series against Afghanistan
South Africa were always on course to reach the target even after losing their opening three batsmen for 80 runs.
South Africa bounced back from two heavy defeats to beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in the last encounter of their One Day International Series in Sharjah on Sunday, Reuters reported.
Aiden Markram’s unbeaten 69 and 26 not out from Tristan Stubbs saw them reach 170 for three wickets off 33 overs in reply to Afghanistan’s modest total of 169.
Afghanistan had skittled South Africa out cheaply to win the first match on Wednesday and then handed the visitors a 177-run thumping on Friday but were unable to replicate their form, even after again winning the toss and electing to bat in the third ODI.
Their innings was dominated again by the powerful hitting of opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who scored 105 in Friday’s comprehensive victory which saw Afghanistan go 2-0 up in the three-match series.
This time he fell 11 short of another century, smashing 89 off 94 balls before being snapped up on the boundary by a flying catch by Reeza Hendricks off the bowling of Andile Phehlukwayo, read the report.
But for the rest, the Afghanis were undone by poor decision making and a little misfortune as they suffered three runouts.
Rahmat Shah was run out when a ball that was hit back down the wicket by Gurbaz was deflected by the hand of bowler Lungi Ngidi onto the shoulder of the stranded Shah and onto his wicket.
Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi and Ikram Alikhil were slow in making their ground and run out by quick thinking in the field with Afghanistan slumping to 132 for seven before Allah Ghazanfar contributed an unbeaten 31 off 15 to take them past 150, Reuters reported.
South Africa were always on course to reach the target even after losing their opening three batsmen for 80 runs.
Markram was the aggressor with Stubbs in a supporting role as their unbeaten 90-run partnership saw South Africa home.
The Morocco national futsal team defeated Afghanistan 4–0 in the ongoing Islamic Solidarity Games held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
This was Afghanistan’s third match in the tournament. Earlier, the Afghan team defeated Tajikistan and held Iran to a draw, showing strong form before facing Morocco.
Despite the loss, Afghanistan remains a competitive side in the regional futsal championship, demonstrating growing potential in the sport.
The Islamic Solidarity Games features more than 3,000 athletes from 57 Islamic countries competing across 19 sporting disciplines.
Ariana Television Network (ATN) holds the exclusive broadcasting rights in Afghanistan for the Riyadh 2025 Games.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed on Friday that it will host West Indies for a three-match T20I series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from January 19 to 22.
The series will begin on January 19, with the second and third T20Is scheduled for January 21 and 22. It is expected to provide both teams with valuable match practice and will play a key role in their preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled less than a month after the series.
ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said: “Competing against West Indies on the brink of a global event presents an excellent opportunity for our team to finalize their lineup and enhance preparations for the upcoming tournament in India and Sri Lanka. We have been closely monitoring the team’s preparation process, and facing a quality West Indies side offers an ideal platform for their buildup.”
CWI Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe added: “This series provides an ideal platform for our preparations. Facing strong opposition in subcontinental conditions will help us sharpen our combinations and approach, while also giving our players a chance to build confidence on surfaces similar to those we’ll encounter in India and Sri Lanka.”
Series Schedule:
Afghanistan’s national cricket team continued their dominant form in the Hong Kong Sixes tournament on Friday, recording back-to-back victories over Nepal and South Africa.
Against South Africa, Afghanistan posted 148 runs in six overs. Captain Gulbadin Naib starred with 50 runs off just 12 balls, while Karim Janat added 46 from 11 deliveries. South Africa could muster only 99 runs in response, giving Afghanistan a commanding 49-run win.
Earlier on Friday, Afghanistan had defeated Nepal by 17 runs, marking a perfect start to the tournament.
The Hong Kong Sixes features twelve teams, each with six players, competing in a fast-paced, six-over format.
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