Afghanistan face South Africa as Sharjah set to host record 250th ODI

Mohammad Abdullah, Senior Sports Reporter

A confident Afghanistan will bid to break the jinx against an overwhelming favourites South Africa in the first of the three ODIs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Both teams have played five ODI matches so far, and the Proteas have managed to keep a clean slate with a 5-0 record against the Asian counterpart. Both teams have always played each other in ICC tournaments, and this is the first bilateral series between them.

The match will also be another milestone for the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Sharjah Cricket Stadium will become the first venue in the world to host 250 ODIs. It already holds the record for staging the most number of ODIS, with some of the most memorable matches taking place at the venue.

Hashmatullah Shahidi, who is the captain of ODI and Test teams, exuded confidence in his team and vowed to give a tough time to South Africa.

“I know they are one of the strongest teams in the world. But we are confident of playing good cricket and putting pressure on them. Anything can happen in cricket. First time, we are playing a bilateral series with such big teams. Of course, we are both excited and confident.

“We are playing in conditions that we are familiar with. No one has played more cricket than us in the UAE. So we are well aware of the pitches and the other factors,” said Hashmatullah.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium served as the home ground for the Afghanistan national team for years before they moved their base to Noida, India.

“We will try to bank on our strength, which is spin bowling. We have some world-class spinners in the team, and we hope to give South Africa a tough time,” he added.

The trio of Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, Rashid Khan, and Mohammad Nabi has been the backbone of the Afghanistan bowling line-up for a long time. They have won a lot of matches for their team together.

Afghanistan will miss the services of some of the key players like Mujeeb, who is yet to recover from a sprain, and top-order batsman Ibrahim Zardan, who is also nursing a niggling injury.

Right-hand top-order batsman Abdul Malik has been called-up as a cover for the injured Zadran while Darwish Rasooli, who has played just seven T20I is likely to make his ODI debut. Mohammad Ghazanfar can play as a replacement for Mujeeb in the spin department.

However, the picture is not that gloomy, as the star spinner Rashid Khan returned to the side after missing three ODIs against Ireland. His return will boost the confidence of the team, bolstering the spin attack, and can prove to be a decisive factor as well.

Afghanistan also boasts of some hard-hitting batsmen up the order who can change the complexion of any game. In the absence of Zardan, the responsibility to give a strong start will be shouldered by Malik, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Azmatullah Omarzai.

Meanwhile, South African batsman Aiden Markram ruled out any complacency against underdogs Afghanistan.

“They are no more underdogs. They have some world-class players, and they demonstrated their skills and prowess in the 50-over World Cup.

“Their run-up to the semi-finals in the showpiece event shows their credentials in the ODIs. We will not let the complacency creep in,” said Markram.

Of late, Afghanistan’s resurgence in the shorter formats has made them a force to reckon with. They had a wonderful run-up in the 50-over World Cup, where they defeated teams like Pakistan and England in the group stages before losing in the semi-finals against Australia, when Glen Maxwell played a dream innings to steer his team out of rut, taking them to victory.

“We are well aware of the fact that Afghanistan can be a dangerous customer in these conditions. Their strength is spin bowling, and the pitches in this region usually help spinners. But, we are well-prepared to tackle them,” he apprised.

Meanwhile, the match will also add another feather to the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, which has witnessed some of the nerviest matches ending in nail-biting finishes.

It all started with the Cricketer’s Benefit Fund Series (CBFS), which was established in 1981 by Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, and whose main aim was to honour cricketers of the past and present generations from India and Pakistan, with benefit purses in recognition of their services to the game of cricket.