Afghanistan’s ace spinner Rashid Khan battled through a hamstring injury to deliver a match-winning performance in the second ODI against South Africa, helping Afghanistan secure a historic series win.
Rashid’s heroic effort saw him take five wickets for just 19 runs in nine overs, playing a key role in Afghanistan’s 177-run victory at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. This win marked Afghanistan’s first-ever series triumph against a top-five-ranked ICC team.
Despite suffering from a hamstring issue that had flared up during the match, Rashid chose to stay on the field, believing that his contribution would be crucial to Afghanistan’s success. He explained his motivation after the game, stating:
“I got a hamstring [injury]… but I tried my best to stay on the ground till the end. Big opportunity for us as a team, you know, to win the series against a big team, and that’s what I had in my mind: my contribution will be the key.”
Rashid had been dealing with injuries for a while, missing parts of the Hundred tournament and sitting out Afghanistan’s one-off Test series against New Zealand earlier in the month. His injury resurfaced during the match while running between the wickets, but he pushed through with the help of the physio to continue playing.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi also provided an update on Rahmat Shah, who left the field with a hamstring concern. Shahidi remained optimistic, expressing hope that Rahmat would recover in time for the final match of the series.
Afghanistan’s batting effort, led by Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s century (105) and Azmatullah Omarzai’s quickfire 86* off 62 balls, set a target of 311/4, which proved too much for South Africa, who were bowled out for 134. Afghanistan now aims for a series sweep as they prepare for the third ODI against South Africa.
