South Africa bounced back from two significant losses to secure a seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the third and final One Day International (ODI) match in Sharjah on Sunday.
Aiden Markram’s unbeaten 69, along with a solid 26* from Tristan Stubbs, led South Africa to easily chase down Afghanistan’s total of 169, finishing at 170/3 in just 33 overs.
Afghanistan, having won the toss and elected to bat, struggled to match their earlier performances in the series. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz was once again the standout player, scoring 89 runs off 94 balls.
However, his efforts were undermined by a series of misfortunes for the team, including three runouts, resulting in a disappointing total of 169.
After Gurbaz was dismissed, Afghanistan’s innings faltered, with Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, and Ikram Alikhil succumbing to South Africa’s sharp fielding. Although Allah Ghazanfar contributed a late, unbeaten 31, it wasn’t enough to set a competitive target.
In response, South Africa’s chase looked secure despite losing three early wickets for 80 runs. Markram played aggressively, forging a vital 90-run partnership with Stubbs that steered South Africa towards a comfortable win.
This victory provided South Africa with some consolation after two heavy defeats earlier in the series, where Afghanistan had claimed a 177-run win and bowled South Africa out cheaply in the first match.
