On Thursday, August 24, at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota, Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by a single wicket in the second One-Day International. With the victory, they now hold a commanding 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
After being bowled out for 59 in the previous game’s chase, Afghanistan’s captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, won the toss and decided to bat first in this one. In the first inning, their team’s batters Rahmanullah Gurbaz (151), as well as Ibrahim Zadran (80), contributed to a respectable total of 300/5 for their team. They had a 227-run partnership for the first wicket and from there it looked like they were set for a massive total but faltered at the end.
Imam-ul-Haq scored a magnificent 91 along with Babar Azam who scored 51 as they responded by hitting effortless half-centuries in order to provide their team a strong foundation in the run-chase.
The middle-order batsmen, meanwhile, were unable to capitalise, and the Men in Green ran into difficulties when the team was struggling at 211/6. At this point, Shadab Khan performed a fighting knock and moved his side closer to the objective with a 48-run innings. Unfortunately, Shadab was run out in the last over at the nonstriker’s end, leaving the task unfinished. With two fours, Naseem Shah put the final touches on Pakistan’s victory.
I tried to be as calm as possible: Shadab Khan
Shadab Khan, the Player of the Match, reminisced on the triumph while speaking during the post-game ceremony. Shadab Khan spoke to the reporters after their epic game against Afghanistan.
He said, “When you are a senior player, you go through these stages repeatedly, sometimes you fail and sometimes you succeed. I think today was my day, and I tried to be as calm as possible. Their team had world-class bowlers, I tried to see them off and take on the fast bowlers.”
On Thursday, Pakistan and Afghanistan played a gripping match that was watched by cricket enthusiasts on social media. They shared some entertaining memes on social media to convey their feelings.
Fans react to Pakistan clinching narrow 1 wicket win against Pakistan in second ODI:
What a crazy match between Pakistan and Afghanistan!
Pakistan emerges victorious with just 1 wickets and a ball to spare. Afghanistan made a great comeback in this match, tough luck for them! pic.twitter.com/14mMap3ptU
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 24, 2023
Afghanistan are unlucky in close games. They would have beaten Pakistan 3-4 times but they slipped at last moment. They failed to hold the nerves. They need to learn from these errors.
— CHARLIE (@CharlieGulshan) August 25, 2023
Turning cricket into a rollercoaster ride of emotions! ?? '1 wicket and a ball to spare' – it's like they're keeping the fans on the edge of their seats till the very last over. Afghanistan's comeback? It's like they threw a plot twist into the cricket storyline. Imagine if…
— Meta ? (@metacryptonian) August 24, 2023
Anyway we'll be the to show Pakistanis their rightful place ??? king is coming for them ??
— Narendra Modi (Parody) (@NarendramodiPa) August 24, 2023
Afg taking match to this depth against Pak is already their achievement..
Well played boys— Avishek Goyal (@AG_knocks) August 24, 2023
Let's laugh at Pakistan ????
— SUPRVIRAT (@kohlidrift) August 24, 2023
Another time Naseem did it
AFG vsPAK close Match, Naseem shah hit a boundary & PAK Win pic.twitter.com/vGs34yog53
— Mahabali Thanos (@MahabaliThanos) August 24, 2023
Won World Cup after 20 years or what ?
— User45 (@140off113) August 24, 2023
Kya chutiyapa kiya hai afganistan ne
— Shankar Raika (@ShankarRaika51) August 24, 2023
Wow! What a match! Naseem
AGAIN took the match away from Afghanistan! pic.twitter.com/i5n7BOqkZA— Sammy Alex M. (@alexcrypto22) August 24, 2023
