South Africa bounced back from two significant losses to secure a seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the final ODI of their series in Sharjah on Sunday.
Aiden Markram’s unbeaten 69, along with a solid 26 not out from Tristan Stubbs, allowed South Africa to easily chase down Afghanistan’s total of 169, finishing at 170/3 in just 33 overs.
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After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Afghanistan struggled to match their earlier performances. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz stood out again, scoring 89 runs off 94 balls, but his efforts were undermined by a series of misfortunes, including three runouts, which limited Afghanistan to 169 runs.
The Afghan innings faltered after Gurbaz was dismissed, with Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, and Ikram Alikhil falling to South Africa’s sharp fielding. A late unbeaten 31 from Allah Ghazanfar wasn’t enough to bolster their total.
In reply, South Africa’s chase started shakily, losing three wickets for 80 runs, but Markram’s aggressive play, combined with a crucial 90-run partnership with Stubbs, led them to a comfortable win.
This victory provided South Africa with some relief following heavy defeats in the first two matches of the series, where Afghanistan had triumphed by 177 runs and bowled South Africa out cheaply in the opener.
