Gurbaz 151, Zadran 80 set Pakistan 301 target

Innings Afghanistan 300 for 5 (Gurbaz 151, Zadran 80, Shaheen 2-58) vs Pakistan

Rahmanullah Gurbaz‘s epic 151 and Ibrahim Zadran‘s classy 80 led Afghanistan to a large total as the hosts put on a competitive 300 for 5 in the second ODI against Pakistan in Hambantota.

Two days ago, Afghanistan faltered in a chase of 202 and were bowled out for a mere 59 runs, registering their second-lowest total in ODIs. But on Thursday, two determined 21-year-olds born a few weeks apart, powered Afghanistan to their highest ODI total against Pakistan.

The openers played out almost 40 overs and scored at a brisk rate on a surface covered with grass and offering bounce. It was also a different track than the one for the first ODI that assisted spinners. Gurbaz and Zadran’s massive opening stand extended to 227 and was finally broken by legspinner Usama Mir when the former holed out to long-off. By that time, Afghanistan had touched the par score.

Gurbaz, who expressed his intent from the beginning by coming down the track against the likes of Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, found boundaries regularly to reach fifty in 72 deliveries. However, after 25 overs, he struggled with some pain in his left forearm and got assistance on at least a couple of occasions. At one stage, the umpire had to send the physio back because of frequent breaks. Gurbaz, however, got going and took another 50 balls to reach his fifth ODI hundred.

His best over of the innings came against Haris Rauf, the bowler who rattled Afghanistan with five wickets in the opening game, in the 37th over. Gurbaz greeted the pacer with four back-to-back fours – all in different parts of the ground, to fine leg, midwicket, deep square leg, and deep third – to up the ante.

On the way to his career-best score, Gurbaz achieved a few feats: he became the first wicketkeeper to score 150-plus in men’s ODIs against Pakistan, his 151 is the third highest individual ODI score by any batter in Sri Lanka.

On the other hand, Zadran kick-started his innings quietly but got on with the act as the innings progressed. He took 71 balls to reach his fourth ODI fifty, in the 30th over, and was initially happy to just rotate the strike. Zadran has been Afghanistan’s in-form batter, coming off a century against Bangladesh in July. Playing in his 16th ODI, Zadran crossed 50 for the eighth time on Thursday, showing the temperament needed for the 50-over format. Zadran hit six fours and two sixes in his 101-ball knock. His shot of the day came against Naseem when he launched a short ball over fine leg for a huge six.

For Pakistan, their short-ball tactic proved futile against the openers who either played it down the ground or pulled away for boundaries. Afridi came back in the 45th over to remove Gurbaz and Rashid Khan, but it was too late for a Pakistan turnaround. Naseem was also in the wicket chart with a dismissal of Mohammad Nabi in the final over, but neither the spinners nor seamers could break the Afghanistan spirit early in the innings.