Rahmanullah Gurbaz Leads Afghanistan to ODI Series Victory over Bangladesh

Afghanistan’s opener, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, produced a match-winning innings on Monday, hitting his eighth ODI century as Afghanistan held their nerves to beat Bangladesh by five wickets in the third and final ODI at Sharjah.

Afghanistan thus won the three-match series 2-1 and continued their good run in ODIs. It is only at 22 that Gurbaz’s success has brought him alongside cricketing legends on the elite batting lists, leaving behind even the records of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.

Gurbaz’s Record-Breaking Century Seals Afghanistan’s Series Win

In pursuit of a target of 245, Afghanistan went under early pressure as Bangladesh bowlers struck quickly to reduce Afghanistan to 81-3 within 20.1 overs.

However, Gurbaz dug in there, scoring most of the runs at the top, and then gave the innings a turnaround statement through a crucial 101-ball knock that had seven sixes and five fours, the statement showing flashes of resilience and aggressive shot-making.

A match-winning century stand for the fourth wicket between Gurbaz and Azmatullah Omarzai proved a turning point in Afghanistan’s favor, stabilizing the innings.

Omarzai’s Supportive Knock and Late Contributions

However, a tranquil 70-run knock by Omarzai aided Afghanistan to set their innings on firm building after a shaky beginning. Mixing caution with aggressive strokes, he formed a fabulous partnership with Gurbaz that finally took Afghanistan close to their target.

Another batting hero was Mohammad Nabi, who sealed the match with an unbeaten 34 runs from 27 balls to finish off it with 10 balls to spare.

Gurbaz Sets New Records with His Eighth ODI Century

With this ton, Gurbaz achieved some remarkable milestones at the adolescent age. He was the second-youngest player to score eight ODI centuries when he was 22 years and 349 days old.

He closely missed the record of 22 years and 312 days set by Quinton de Kock. Gurbaz also outsoared Indian legends Tendulkar and Kohli in terms of most centuries scored before turning 23 and only de Kock has as many as eight centuries at that age. This feat has further established him as a rising star, putting him on par with the sport’s legends.

Bangladesh’s Batting Effort Led by Mahmudullah and Mehidy Hasan

Earlier in the match, Bangladesh batted first with Tanzid Hasan and Soumya Sarkar giving Bangladesh a good start by putting up a 53-run partnership. Afghanistan bowlers caught back quickly, taking four wickets and bringing Bangladesh down to 72-4.

Captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mahmudullah countered the Afghan bowling attack, building a resilient 145-run partnership off 188 balls that helped Bangladesh set up a respectable total of 244-8.

Mahmudullah was two runs short of a century with 98 off runs, while Mehidy, playing his hundredth ODI, was in an elegantly patient half-century of 66. With four wickets for just 37 runs in his seven overs of bowling, Omarzai ensured that Bangladesh could not get away with a strong victory and kept Afghanistan very much in the game.

Afghanistan’s Winning Streak Continues

Afghanistan has won the third successive series in this format, after having previously defeated South Africa 2-1 and Ireland 2-0 in a recent series played in the United Arab Emirates.

In fact, the all series of victories from this team proves maturity and strength in the ODI cricket game. Afghanistan makes its stand along with the strong other teams playing international cricket.

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FAQs

Q. How many ODI centuries have Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored?

A. Gurbaz has scored eight ODI centuries, making him one of the youngest players to score eight centuries in the format.

Q. What was Bangladesh’s target set when they were facing Afghanistan at the final ODI?

A. Bangladesh set a target of 245 runs after scoring 244-8 in their 50 overs.

Q. Who accompanied Gurbaz as Afghanistan successfully chased the runs?

A. Azmatullah Omarzai, with a 70-run knock, accompanied Gurbaz well, and Mohammad Nabi polished off 34 unbeaten runs at the end of the innings.

Q. How was Bangladesh with bat in the final ODI?

A. Bangladesh started badly after a good opening stand, but Mahmudullah and Mehidy Hasan saved the day with a 145-run partnership for them to stay at 244-8.

Q. Where can fans catch up with Afghanistan’s next ODI games?

A. Free-to-air live cricket is also available to fans on other platforms such as Winexch, which provides the facilitation of cricket viewership for real-time updates.