Sat Sep 21 13:19:08 UTC 2024: ## Afghanistan Makes History, Dominating South Africa for First ODI Series Win
**KABUL, AFGHANISTAN -** In a historic feat, Afghanistan secured their first-ever ODI series victory against a top-five ICC-ranked team, crushing South Africa by a staggering 177 runs in the second match. This triumph also marked Afghanistan’s largest margin of victory in the format, surpassing their previous record of 154 runs against Zimbabwe in 2018.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rashid Khan were instrumental in Afghanistan’s commanding performance. Gurbaz notched his seventh ODI century, a record for an Afghanistan batter, while Rahmat Shah (50) and Azmatullah Omarzai (86*) provided valuable support. Omarzai’s innings also saw him achieve the fastest half-century by an Afghan player in ODIs, reaching the milestone in just 32 balls.
Afghanistan set a challenging target of 311/4 in their 50 overs, marking their 10th instance of surpassing the 300-run mark in ODIs and their sixth-highest score in the format.
With the ball, Rashid Khan, celebrating his 26th birthday, delivered a remarkable performance, claiming a five-wicket haul to dismantle South Africa’s batting lineup. In his third ODI, left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote contributed with four wickets, contributing to South Africa’s dramatic collapse from 73/0 to being bowled out for a meager 134.
Despite battling a hamstring injury, Rashid Khan, demonstrating unwavering dedication, fought through the pain to lead his team to victory. “I got a hamstring [injury], I had it a month before as well, quite unlucky but I tried my best to stay on the ground till the end, tried my best to do for the team as much as I can,” said Rashid.
Afghanistan now sets its sights on a historic whitewash, aiming to secure a third consecutive victory against South Africa in the final ODI scheduled for Sunday, September 22nd.
First Piper 