Rahmanullah Gurbaz displayed an explosive performance in the second ODI held in Hambantota, going on the attack against the Pakistan bowlers. This exceptional showing led to him achieving his highest ODI score, a crucial contribution that enabled Afghanistan to establish a commanding total of 300 runs across 50 overs.
Gurbaz, in partnership with Ibrahim Zadran at the opening, orchestrated a remarkable partnership that resulted in the second-highest recorded opening partnership of 227 runs against the Pakistani team.
Gurbaz’s innings of 151 runs was a showcase of brilliance, featuring 14 well-timed fours and three impressive maximums.
Ibrahim Zadran played a crucial complementary role during the opening partnership, contributing a solid 80 runs to the scoreboard.
The breakthrough for Pakistan came at the 40-over mark, courtesy of Usama Mir. Later in the innings, Mohammad Nabi (29 off 29) and Hashmatullah Shahidi (15 off 11) played short yet impactful innings, adding valuable runs as Afghanistan concluded their innings at 300/5 after 50 overs.
The partnership between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran yielded an impressive 227 runs for the opening position, marking the second-highest opening partnership recorded against Pakistan in ODIs. Leading the list are David Warner and Travis Head with their remarkable 284-run partnership, achieved in Adelaide back in 2017.
Gurbaz’s inning was very important for Afghanistan to put a big total on the board as they already trailing in the series losing the first match earlier when he they bundled out for just 59 runs, thanks to fiery bowling of the Pakistan speedster.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz breaks MS Dhoni’s record
Meanwhile, Gurbaz’s inning broke a number of historical records, including a 18-years-old record of former Indian captain MS Dhoni.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz now has the signed score by a wicketkeeper batter against Pakistan, overtaking the record set by former India captain and wicketkeeper batter MS Dhoni. Dhoni had scored 148 runs vs the men in green in the 2nd ODI played in Visakhapatnam that India had won by 58 runs.
