SL vs AFG: Rahmat Shah registers his 23rd ODI fifty
Afghanistan veteran batter Rahmat Shah registered a fine fifty against Sri Lanka in the first ODI at Hambantota. The experienced batted played a crucial knock as the visitors defeated SL by six wickets and chased down the target of 268 inside 47 overs. Shah stitched a brilliant partnership with Ibrahim Zadran which laid the platform for the run chase. Here we decode his stats.
Shah plays a decisive knock under pressure
The 29-year-old batter came to the crease on Ramanhullah Gurbaz's departure in the sixth over. Shah started building a partnership with Ibrahim and the duo complimented each other very nicely. Ibrahim went for the big shots as Shah held one end up. The duo added 146 runs together. He smashed only three fours in his knock of 55 before falling to debutant Matheesha Pathirana.
Shah is the highest run-scorer for Afghanistan in ODIs
With this knock, Shah has compiled 3,138 runs in 89 ODI appearances at an average of 31.38. Besides 23 fifties, he has slammed five centuries in this format. He has a decent record against the Lankan Lions, having smashed 261 runs in six ODIs at an average of 43.50. He has smoked four fifties against Sri Lanka in this format of the game.
Fifth-highest second-wicket partnership for Afghanistan in ODIs
Shah and Ibrahim's 146-run stand for the second wicket became the fifth-highest second-wicket partnership for Afghanistan in ODIs. Top five second-wicket ODI partnerships for Afghanistan: 218* - Mohammad Shahzad and Karim Sadiq vs Scotland 205 - Noor Zadran and Shahzad vs Canada 195 - Rahmat and Ibrahim vs Zimbabwe 150 - Rahmat and Shahdzad vs Ireland 146 - Rahmat and Ibrahim vs SL
How did the match pan out?
Chasing 268, Afghanistan lost Ramanullah Gurbaz early. However, the likes of Ibrahim and Shah brought stability with a fine partnership of 146 runs for the second wicket. After Ibrahim's dismissal, Shah kept on going and added 40 runs along with Hasmatullah Shahidi. The latter also had a good 42-run stand with Mohammad Nabi. Eventually, it was Najibullah Zadran, who struck the winning runs.
