In a landmark moment for Afghan cricket, a stellar bowling performance led by Fazalhaq Farooqi and 18-year-old prodigy Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar secured Afghanistan’s first-ever victory over South Africa in international cricket.
South Africa won the toss and chose to beat, but their decision backfired spectacularly as Farooqi made an immediate impact. The left-arm pacer delivered a decisive spell, dismissing Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram early in the innings. Farooqi’s dominance continued as he also claimed the wicket of Tony de Zorzi.
The real turning point came when Ghazanfar unleashed his talent, removing Tristan Stubbs and debutant Jason Smith for ducks in the same over. With South Africa reeling at 29/5, Ghazanfar further dismantled the middle order by taking the wickets of Kyle Verreynne and Andile Phehlukwayo, the latter succumbing to a run-out.
Despite a valiant half-century from Wiaan Mulder and a valuable contribution from Bjorn Fortuin, South Africa could only muster a total of 106 runs. This left them with a daunting task of defending a modest total.
Afghanistan, despite a challenging start with the bat, saw Azmatullah Omarzai and Gulbadin Naib guide them to victory with an unbeaten fifth-wicket partnership. Their composed performance ensured Afghanistan’s historic win.
This victory marks Afghanistan’s first triumph over South Africa in six encounters across all formats. Previously, Afghanistan had struggled against South Africa, including a dismal performance where they were bowled out for just 56 in the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
With this win, Afghanistan has now achieved victories against all major cricketing nations, except India and Nepal (with only one match played), across at least one format.
