South Africa Avoids Whitewash with Dominant 7-Wicket Victory in Sharjah

In a crucial final ODI in Sharjah, South Africa managed to avoid a series whitewash against Afghanistan, winning by 7 wickets. After losing the first two ODIs and thus conceding the series, the Proteas showcased their strength in the last match.

This marks the first series victory for Afghanistan against South Africa. With an impressive performance, South Africa restricted Afghanistan to just 169 runs, finishing the match with 102 balls to spare. The series ended 2-1 in favor of Afghanistan, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz named Player of the Match and Player of the Series.

In this final ODI, South Africa's bowling attack proved formidable, not allowing Afghanistan to exceed 169 runs. Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz, however, stood out, scoring 89 runs—more than half of Afghanistan’s total. The rest of the team managed only 80 runs collectively, with just three batters reaching double figures. Gulbadin Naib contributed a quickfire 31 runs off 15 balls, while captain Hashmatullah Shahidi managed 10 runs before the rest fell for single-digit scores.

Chasing a modest target, South Africa’s opening partnership yielded 40 runs before the first wicket fell. Captain Temba Bavuma was dismissed for 22 runs, followed by Tony de Zorzi with 26 runs. Reza Hendricks also departed early after scoring 18 runs. However, Aiden Markram stepped up, scoring an unbeaten 69 runs and securing the win for his team. Tristan Stubbs supported him well with 26 runs.

South Africa reached their target of 170 runs in just 33 overs, wrapping up the series with a sigh of relief.