Pakistan cricket team shrugged off Afghanistan like dust in the first of the three-match ODI series taking place in Sri Lanka as they handed the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side a colossal 142-run defeat in Hambantota on Tuesday, August 22. Pakistan bowlers were on fire from the outset defending a low score of 201 as they didn’t let even a single Afghan batter have a say in the game. Shaheen Afridi began the destruction with two wickets in two balls and Haris Rauf capped it off with his maiden five-wicket haul in the 50-over format.
Only two Afghan batters got into double digits as the quality of Pakistan’s bowling attack was too hot to handle for them. Rauf ran riot as he ended up with figures of 18/5, his personal best for Pakistan in the ODI format. Afghanistan were bowled out for a paltry 59, which is their second lowest score in the format. Afghanistan’s lowest score in ODIs was 58 against Zimbabwe in Sharjah in 2016.
59 all out is also the lowest team total against Pakistan in ODIs as Afghanistan broke New Zealand’s unwanted 37-year-old record of 64 all out, which was the lowest for any team against Pakistan.
Lowest totals against Pakistan in men’s ODIs
59 – Afghanistan, 2023 (Hambantota)
64 – New Zealand, 1986 (Sharjah)
67 – Zimbabwe, 2018 (Bulawayo)
74 – New Zealand, 1990 (Sharjah)
78 – Sri Lanka, 2002 (Sharjah)
Earlier, the Pakistan batters too found it difficult on a slow turning pitch of Hambantota as apart from opening Imam-ul-Haq and 30-odd from Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan, there was no real contribution. Contrary to Pakistan, it was the Afghan spinners, who were all over Pakistan as the trio of Mujeeb ur Rahman, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi did well to restrict the Men in Green to 201. However, their batters will need to put up a fight in the second ODI.