PAK Vs AFG 1ST ODI Match: Imam and Haris Helped Pakistan Win The Match By 142 Runs To Take 1-0 Lead

Pakistan wins the first ODI match against Afghanistan by 142 runs as Pakistan’s bowling attack dismissed the Afghanistan team for 59 runs in a low-scoring game to take the lead of 1-0 in the three-match ODI series.

FIRST INNINGS SUMMARY:

The captain of Pakistan, Babar Azam won the toss and decided to bat first against Afghanistan in the first ODI match at Hambantota.

The decision of Babar Azam didn’t work in his favor as Pakistan felt themselves in trouble after losing Fakhar Zaman, and Babar Azam with less than 10 runs on the board.

The innings of Imam Ul Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Shadab Khan were very important for Pakistan, and some very important runs for the bat of Naseem Shah helped Pakistan to score 201 runs in the first ODI match.

Imam Ul Haq top scored for Pakistan in the first ODI match. He scored a brilliant half-century, a gritty knock of 61 runs off 94 deliveries with the help of just two fours against the top-quality spin attack of the Afghanistan team. Even though his strike rate was low but he showed great resilience as his innings helped Pakistan score a competitive total in the match.

Afghanistan’s spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, and Muhammad Nabi picked eight wickets between them as they dismantled Pakistan’s batting lineup under a par total in the first ODI match.

2ND INNINGS SUMMARY:

In the run chase, Afghanistan never really looked comfortable to chase the target of 202 runs while facing the quality of Pakistan’s pace attack, Shaheen Shah, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf.

Shaheen Shah started the collapse with two wickets in two balls in his second over of the match, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf struck after that and Afghanistan was in deep trouble, from which they couldn’t recover in the whole match.

Haris Rauf was the pick of the bowlers from the Pakistan side, as he picked up five wickets for just 18 runs in 6.2 overs. He picked up his first ODI fifer as he picked up the wickets of Rahman Gurbaz, Ikram Alikhil, Muhammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, and Mujeeb Ur Rehman.

No one from the Afghan batting lineup could score freely against Pakistan as four out of their ten batters were gone for a duck and only two could enter double figures against the Pakistani pacers in the first ODI match.

A complete bowling effort from the Pakistan team helped them win the match by 142 runs and complete a comprehensive victory over Afghanistan in the first ODI match.

The three-match series against Afghanistan is scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka. The first ODI match was scheduled to be played on 22 AUGUST, 2023, followed by the second ODI match on 26 AUGUST, 2023, and the third ODI match will be played on 26 AUGUST, 2023.