Afghanistan107 for 4 (Naib 34*, Fortuin 2-22) beat South Africa 106 (Mulder 52, Farooqi 4-35, Ghazanfar 3-20) by six wickets
England. Pakistan. Sri Lanka. New Zealand. Australia. And now South Africa.
That is a list of teams Afghanistan have beaten in white-ball internationals in the last 11 months.
The first three of those results came in ODIs at last year's 50-over World Cup, which secured Afghanistan's automatic qualification for next year's Champions Trophy. The last two were at this year's T20 World Cup, where Afghanistan reached the semi-finals. In between, there was a T20I win over Sri Lanka and now, there is an ODI win over South Africa, in the first meeting the two teams have had outside of World Cups.
Afghanistan's opening bowlers, Fazalhaq Farooqi and AM Ghazanfar, stunned South Africa in the powerplay and reduced them to their worst start in ODIs: 36 for 7 after ten overs. A 39-run eighth-wicket stand between Wiaan Mulder and Bjorn Fortuin ensured South Africa escaped being bowled out for their lowest ODI total - 69 - but they were still shot out for the lowest score by a top-ten ranked team against Afghanistan on a slow and dry surface.
Afghanistan have never failed to chase a score below 130 and although they did find run-scoring easy early on, they were not about to end that record. From 38 for 3 in the 14th over, Hashmatullah Shahidi steadied them before a fifth-wicket partnership of 47 between Azmatullah Omarzai and Gulbadin Naib off 48 balls took them to a massive win. Afghanistan polished off the total with 24 overs to spare.
The margin underlines their dominance from the opening exchanges. Farooqi, whose first 11 deliveries cost 14 runs, decided to change his angle from over to around the wicket and it worked a charm. The final ball of his second over was well wide of Reeza Hendricks, but the South African opener reached for it anyway and played on. At the end of Farooqi's next over, Aiden Markram, who was standing in as captain in place of an ill Temba Bavuma, went exactly the same way. In his next over, Farooqi picked up his third wicket when Tony de Zorzi top-edged a pull to Shahidi at midwicket.
At the other end, Ghazanfar, playing in just his third ODI, had to wait a little longer - until the first ball of his fourth over - for success. Tristan Stubbs, his own ODI career only two ODI matches old, tried to push Ghazanfar to mid-off but edged to slip instead. Five balls later, Jason Smith was beaten by turn as he tried to defend and was bowled. South Africa's difficulties reading Ghazanfar continued when Kyle Verreynne did not anticipate the turn back into him and was hit on the pad. He reviewed the on-field umpire's out decision, but it was upheld on umpire's call.
Andile Phehlukwayo saw off four Ghazanfar balls, and survived an lbw appeal, but then wandered out of his crease while the ball was still alive and was run out by a game-aware Gulbadin Naib. And that is how South Africa slipped to 36 for 7.
Fortuin started the counterattack with two boundaries off Rashid Khan's third over as South Africa limped towards 50. They got there in the 16th over. Then it was over to Mulder, who was the most assured player of spin in his side, albeit the bar was not particularly high. Mulder hit the only six of the innings off Rashid over long-off, brought up South Africa's hundred with a pull over midwicket and his half-century off 80 balls. When he became Farooqi's fourth - and final - victim, in the 33rd over, South Africa's innings was all but over. They were bowled out inside 34 overs with plenty of questions over their approach.
They will also want to consider the composition of their attack, which included only one specialist spinner in Fortuin, to Afghanistan's three. Still, they seamers made early incisions. Lungi Ngidi had Rahmanullah Gurbaz caught at deep third off the third ball of the innings to put Afghanistan in early trouble. Ngidi and Nandre Burger kept Afghanistan quiet for most of the first seven overs - and Ngidi thought he had Rahmat snaffled down the leg side and reviewed but replays showed the ball hit his pad - and the pressure told. When Fortuin was introduced in the eight over, Rahmat missed a sweep off a full, flighted ball and was out lbw.
Afghanistan's first boundary came after that when Riaz Hasan pulled a Burger short ball over backward square leg. Burger was given the same treatment on the other side of the powerplay by Shahidi and Afghanistan were gaining momentum. Mulder could have broken it when Riaz, on 11, flicked him to Tony de Zorzi at midwicket but despite a decent jump, de Zorzi could not hold on. The drop only cost South Africa five runs as Riaz missed a Fortuin arm ball and was bowled in the next over.
Fortuin's follow-up was five wides and he was then replaced by Markram, who Azmatullah Omarzai hit over mid-on for Afghanistan's first six. Markram kept himself on and could have had Shahidi caught at slip in his next over but Hendricks was surprised by the chance. Shahidi was out lbw three balls later and then South Africa opted for spin from both ends.
Azmatullah enjoyed the flight and hit Markram for six more down the ground. Markram then took himself off and brought Burger back but he was dispatched for back-to-back sixes by Naib. He finished things off with 13 runs off Phehlukwayo's second over to joyous scenes from the Afghanistan dressing room and the small Sharjah crowd.
