Karachi, Feb 21 Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi admitted his side fell short in the batting department after they suffered a comprehensive 107-run defeat against South Africa in their ICC Champions Trophy opener at the National Stadium. Chasing a daunting target of 316, Afghanistan faltered early and never recovered despite a valiant 90 from Rahmat Shah.
“I think the batting was not good enough today. The pitch was helping them in the second innings. We did well in the bowling, but not so good in the first 20 overs [batting],” Shahidi said after the match. “The toss was important, it was not a typical Karachi pitch. Their bowlers bowled well [too].”
South Africa, led by Ryan Rickelton’s maiden ODI century, posted a commanding 315/6 before their pacers dismantled the Afghan batting lineup. Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen combined to put the chase beyond reach, restricting Afghanistan to 208 in 43.3 overs.
Opting to bat first, South Africa built their innings around Rickelton’s sublime 103. The left-hander, fresh off an impressive SA20 campaign, paced his knock to perfection, forming crucial partnerships with captain Temba Bavuma (58) and Rassie van der Dussen (52).
Despite a strong 129-run stand between Rickelton and Bavuma, Afghanistan’s spinners managed to pull things back in the middle overs. However, late contributions from Aiden Markram (52*) and David Miller propelled South Africa past the 300-run mark.
Under lights, South Africa’s pace attack immediately put Afghanistan on the back foot. Jansen and Ngidi extracted bounce and movement, and their relentless pressure yielded quick wickets.
“We can fight, but we didn’t play the way we wanted,” Shahidi conceded. “We have two games left, so we will forget what happened and look forward. Rahmat played really well in tough times, and we will take that as a positive. Inshallah, we will play quality cricket in the next two games.”
Despite the wickets tumbling at the other end, Rahmat Shah displayed immense composure and resilience. He reached his half-century in 62 balls, playing calculated strokes to keep the scoreboard ticking. Though not flashy, his knock was a testament to his technique and temperament under pressure.
Rabada (3/36), ensured South Africa’s first ODI victory in several matches came in emphatic fashion. With this win, they have taken an early lead in Group B, while Afghanistan will need to regroup quickly for their remaining fixtures.
--IANS
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