‘Chalo ek tamasha khattam hua’ – Fans react as Pakistan whitewash Afghanistan in 3-game ODI series

Pakistan completed a series whitewash over Afghanistan with a win in the third and final ODI at Colombo, Sri Lanka. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. They scored a competitive 268/8, riding on half-centuries by skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Rizwan remained the highest scorer with 67 off 79, including six fours and a six. Babar followed him with 60 off 86, including four fours and a six. Handy knocks from Agha Salman (38 off 31) and Mohammad Nawaz (30 off 25) provided the final boost for Pakistan to surpass the 260-run mark.

Talking of the bowling from Afghanistan, Gulbadin Naib remained the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/36 in nine overs. He was followed by Fareed Khan at 2/70 in 10 overs. Finally, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Rashid Khan returned with one wicket each. In reply, the Afghan innings succumbed to a premature end at 209 with eight deliveries to spare.

Pakistan star batter Mohammad Rizwan remained the ‘Player of the Match’

Mujeeb Ur Rahman with 67 off 37, including five fours and five sixes remained the top-scorer. Whereas, Riaz Hassan and Shahidullah with 34 off 66 and 37 off 65, respectively, were the only other batters to surpass the 20-run mark. Talking of the bowling from Pakistan, Shadab Khan returned with match-best figures of 3/42 in 10 overs. At the same time, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Faheem Ashraf, and Mohammad Nawaz returned with two wickets each while Agha Salman scalped one.

In a forgettable batting display from Afghanistan, Pakistan won the game the 59 runs and completed the series-whitewash by 3-0. Mohammad Rizwan was adjudged the ‘Player of the Match’ for his 67 off 79 and two catches. At the same time, Imam-ul-Haq was adjudged the ‘Player of the Series’ for his run tally of 165 runs in three games. Notably, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, with 174 runs, accumulated a higher run-tally. Both teams will now be in action in the upcoming Asia Cup ODI 2023 that kicks off on August 30 at Multan, Pakistan.

Here’s how fans reacted:

https://twitter.com/Har_uki_/status/1695502352382652780