South Africa secures consolation win against Afghanistan in final ODI

South Africa ended their three-match ODI series against Afghanistan with a convincing victory, claiming a 2-1 series defeat. After being dominated in the first two games, the Proteas bounced back strongly to chase down a modest target and secure a comfortable win in the final match.

The foundation for South Africa’s victory was laid by their bowlers, who bundled out Afghanistan for just 170 runs in 34 overs. Lungi Ngidi and Bjorn Fortuin led the attack, supported by excellent fielding that resulted in three crucial run-outs. Afghanistan’s batting lineup struggled, with only Rahmanullah Gurbaz showing some fight. He top-scored with 89 runs, narrowly missing his second consecutive century.

Ngidi set the tone early by dismissing debutant Abdul Malik with a sharp delivery that struck him on the pads. He then produced a crucial moment in his next over, getting a fingertip to a shot from Gurbaz that deflected onto the stumps, running out Rahmat Shah at the non-striker’s end. Rahmat’s casual running and Hashmatullah Shahidi’s lack of urgency in taking a second run led to another run-out soon after, leaving Afghanistan in trouble.

The wickets kept falling, with Nqaba Peter and Fortuin keeping the pressure on. Gurbaz continued to fight, bringing up his fifty in just 47 balls with some clean hitting. However, his partners failed to support him, and a series of misjudged runs and poor shot selections saw Afghanistan crumble. The South African bowlers made quick work of the lower order, with Fortuin and Peter wrapping up the innings.

South Africa’s chase began cautiously, with captain Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi struggling against Afghanistan’s left-arm pace. Both batters found themselves in trouble but managed to capitalize on some missed chances in the field. Bavuma was bowled by AM Ghazanfar, and de Zorzi soon followed, trapped lbw by Mohammad Nabi.

Reeza Hendricks’ poor form continued as he was dismissed for another low score, leaving South Africa in a spot of bother. However, Aiden Markram stepped up, scoring his first ODI fifty in ten innings. He shared a solid 90-run partnership with youngster Tristan Stubbs, who batted maturely to see his team home.

Markram played the anchor role, mixing caution with aggression as he took on the spinners, hitting two sixes off Nabi to bring up his half-century. Stubbs, playing in just his fourth ODI, supported him well and remained unbeaten to finish the match.

South Africa chased down the target in 33 overs, with Markram ending on 69 not out and Stubbs on 36. The win provided some relief for the Proteas after their disappointing performance in the first two matches of the series.