The opener smashed a brilliant century on a slow pitch to take his team home.
In a year of T20 World Cup, ODIs might not prove of much significance. But Afghanistan and Ireland are fighting it out against each other at the UAE. The first ODI of the series was played at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
After winning the only Test match, Ireland were high on confidence while Afghanistan needed a win to boost their confidence. They got off to an excellent start thanks to their openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. The duo added 150 runs for the first wicket before Zadran was bowled by left-arm spinner van Woerkom.
ICYMI: @RGurbaz_21 became the joint-highest centurian for Afghanistan, as he brought up his 6th ODI hundred earlier against Ireland. #AfghanAtalan | #AFGvIRE2024 pic.twitter.com/5TWVgrWFUP
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) March 7, 2024
But Rahmanullah Gurbaz went on to smash his sixth ODI hundred to take Afghanistan to a solid total. Gurbaz reached his century in 108 balls in the 35th over of the match. His opening partner Ibrahim Zadran scored a sedate 60 off 93 balls. Both the openers laid a solid foundation for the middle order batters to post a big total on the board.
But it was Gurbaz, around whom Afghanistan batting rallied. Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored a majestic 121 from 117 balls on a slow pitch at Sharjah. He hit 8 fours and 6 sixes in the process. His innings ensured Afghanistan did not lose steam after a good start.
In the process, Gurbaz became the sixth overall batter to score six ODI hundreds before turning 23. The list included some big names like Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Quinton de Kock, and Babar Azam. The 22-year-old played an excellent innings on a slow pitch and helped in taking Afghanistan to a winning total.
With the help of quick cameos from Mohammad Nabi and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan reached a competitive 310-5. In reply, Ireland could only reach 275-8 in their 50 overs. Harry Tector scored a brilliant century and scored 138 from 147 balls, which included 9 fours and 3 sixes. Wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker gave him good company to score a quickfire 85 from 76 balls.
But apart from Tector and Tucker, no other Ireland batter could even reach the double-digit mark and they fell 35 runs short of the target. Afghanistan lead 1-0 in the three-match ODI series.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz will play for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024. He joined the franchise last season and played 11 matches, scoring 227 runs at a strike rate of 133.53.
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