On a dry Sharjah pitch, South Africa made a disastrous decision to bat first, and the collapse began almost immediately. In just the third over, Fazalhaq Farooqi struck, getting Reeza Hendricks to inside-edge a delivery onto his stumps.
Twelve balls later, Aiden Markram fell in an eerily similar fashion, and Tony de Zorzi compounded the misery by top-edging a pull to mid-on in Farooqi’s next over. The early damage continued as rookie mystery spinner Allah Ghazanfar, entrusted with the new ball in Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s absence, made an immediate impact in the eighth over.
He spun a full delivery past Tristan Stubbs’ bat to have him caught at slip before deceiving debutant Jason Smith with a drifting delivery that clattered into the stumps. Things went from bad to worse for South Africa in the final over of the powerplay when Ghazanfar trapped Kyle Verreynne plumb in front, and Andile Phehlukwayo was run out in farcical fashion.
By the end of the powerplay, South Africa had slumped to a dismal 36/7, their worst-ever ODI powerplay score. Wiaan Mulder and Bjorn Fortuin offered some resistance, attacking the spinners where possible to stitch together a 39-run stand over 13 overs.
However, Rashid Khan broke through with a stunning googly to bowl Fortuin. Left to shoulder the burden, Mulder counterattacked with a flurry of boundaries and a six, reaching his maiden ODI fifty off 80 balls. His innings ended soon after when Farooqi beat him for pace, and Rashid wrapped things up by dismissing Lungi Ngidi, bowling South Africa out for 106—their joint-seventh lowest ODI total. In reply, Afghanistan stumbled early as Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell for a duck off the third ball, holing out to provide the visitors a glimmer of hope.
Lungi Ngidi and Gerald Coetzee maintained tight lines, conceding only 13 runs in the first seven overs. The pressure paid off when Bjorn Fortuin struck in his first over, trapping Rahmat Shah while attempting a sweep.
However, Hashmatullah Shahidi’s experience paired with Riaz Hassan’s youthful energy added a brisk 23 runs to steady the innings. The rookie, though, lost his composure and was bowled after charging down the track to Fortuin. Azmatullah Omarzai injected momentum with a massive six, but Shahidi soon fell LBW to Markram, leaving Afghanistan at 60/4 after 18 overs.
18 Year Old Afghanistan star Allah Ghazanfar in Mumbai Indians. pic.twitter.com/LyhSJ9PKkB
— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) November 25, 2024
Despite the spinners tightening the screws, Gulbadin Naib broke free against Burger, smashing consecutive sixes to shift the momentum decisively. From there, Afghanistan cruised to their target, securing victory with six wickets to spare.