Watch: Fazalhaq Farooqi runs Shadab Khan out at Non-Striker’s end as Pakistan Clinch Last Over Win
AFG vs PAK 2nd ODI: On Thursday, August 8, Pakistan overcame Afghanistan in the second of a three-match ODI series in Hambantota after successfully chasing down 301.
Shadab Khan once again made a pivotal cameo for Pakistan. Despite a spectacular 152 from their opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Afghanistan fell short of winning their first-ever ODI against Pakistan as the game ebbed and flowed.
After Pakistan’s mini-collapse from 170 for 1 to 211 for 6, Shadab Khan was playing a lone warrior’s effort. Imam-ul-Haq was out for 91 runs, and Pakistan needed the dependable all-rounder Shadab to perform under duress in the final few overs.
Watch: Fazalhaq Farooqi run out Shadab Khan
In one of the most dramatic final overs, when Pakistan required 11 runs in the last over, Shadab was at the non-striker’s end. Fazalhaq Farooqi, a left-arm pacer, was running in to bowl the opening pitch of the over and was fully aware of the activity going on around him.
Fazalhaq Farooqi observed Shadab Khan leaving the crease in an effort to block No. 10 Naseem Shah’s attack. At the non-striker’s end, Farooqi removed the bails without hesitation.
Shadab Khan left the field in disbelief despite not objecting to the choice. Shadab left the office at 35 to go to 48, leaving Naseem and Haris Rauf in charge. And Pakistan triumphed with one ball remaining thanks to Naseem’s boundary and Haris’s three-run contribution in the final over.
Pakistan grabbed a commanding 2-0 lead over Afghanistan in the three-match series in Sri Lanka.
Rahmannulah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, Afghanistan’s openers, handed Pakistan’s bowling attack a disastrous start earlier in the day. In ODI matches against Pakistan, Gurbaz beat MS Dhoni’s record for the highest score by a wicketkeeper-batter.
Gurbaz and Zadran joined together to give their team the upper hand with a massive 227-run partnership. Gurbaz and Zadran’s opening-wicket partnership ranked second among Afghanistan’s partnerships in one-day internationals.
With the ball, Pakistan responded effectively, limiting the damage in the final overs.
Pakistan only scored 201 in the first ODI, however, Haris Rauf’s spectacular 5-wicket haul resulted in Afghanistan being bowled out for 59, their second-lowest ODI total.
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