AFG vs PAK, 1st ODI | Haris Rauf's Killer Five-Wicket Haul Powers Pakistan To Dominant Win Over Afghanistan

Imam-Ul-Haq's Gritty Fifty helped Pakistan post a decent total (Twitter)

Displaying a stunning bowling performance at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota, Pakistan bulldozed Afghanistan in the first game of the three-match ODI series by an emphatic 142 runs.

AFG vs PAK 1st ODI Report: How did the battle pan out?

Explosive Bowling from Pakistan Shatters Afghan Hopes

Pakistan's pace attack was too fiery for Afghanistan batters. Star bowler Shaheen Afridi initiated the rout by dismissing both Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah for ducks. This early momentum was further boosted when Naseem Shah sent back the Afghan skipper, Hashmatullah Shahid, to the pavilion, also for a duck.

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The troubles for Afghanistan didn’t end there. Entering the bowling fray, Haris Raud put in a sensational performance, taking out vital batsmen like Ikram Akil, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Nabi, and the dangerous Rashid Khan to break the backbone of the Afghan batting.

Spinner Shadab Khan also got into the action by accounting for Abdul Rahman. However, the day clearly belonged to Rauf, who bagged the final wicket in the form of Mujeeb ur Rahman, ending with exceptional figures of 5/18 from just 6.2 overs.

Pakistan's Batting Wobble

While Pakistan’s bowling was impeccable, their batting earlier in the day left much to be desired. The Men in Green had a rocky start, with openers Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam returning to the pavilion early with scores of 2 and 0, respectively. Imam-ul-Haq, however, stood firm amid the wickets falling around him. His crucial innings of 61 off 94 balls provided some stability.

Brief but essential contributions from Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan pushed Pakistan past the 200 mark before they were all out for 201. Despite the batting hiccups, Pakistan's phenomenal bowling display ensured a massive win.

With two more ODIs to go, it will be intriguing to see if Afghanistan can mount a comeback. The second ODI will be played at the same venue on Thursday, August 24.

Brief Scores

Pakistan: 201/10 (47.1)

Imam-Ul-Haq 61 (94), Shadab Khan 39 (50)

Mujeeb Ur Rahman 3-33 (10), Mohammad Nabi 2-34 (2)

Afghanistan: 59/10 (19.2)

Rahmanullah Gurbaz 18 (47), Azmatullah Omarzai 16 (12)

Haris Rauf 5-18 (6.2), Shaheen Afridi 2-9 (4)

Pakistan won by 142 runs

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