WATCH: Naveen-ul-Haq’s beautiful out-swinger sends Travis Head packing with a duck

Afghanistan displayed their batting prowess, posting a formidable total of 291/5 in their innings against Australia in the 39th match of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, November Ibrahim Zadran, who opened the innings for Afghanistan, proved to be the star of the show. He remained unbeaten, scoring an outstanding 129 runs from 143 balls, making him the first Afghanistan cricketer to notch a century in ODI World Cups.

When Australia came to chase the target, they suffered an early setback as Naveen-ul-Haq’s remarkable out-swinger proved to be the undoing of Travis Head. Head, the destructive left-handed batter, faced only two deliveries before being dismissed without scoring, a two-ball duck. Naveen’s skilful delivery showcased his bowling prowess, leaving an impact on the ongoing cricket contest.

Watch the video here:

Brilliant batting performance by Afghanistan

Talking about the match, opting to bat after winning the toss, Afghanistan’s opening pair, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Zadran got their team off to a steady start, adding 38 runs for the first wicket. However, their promising partnership was disrupted by Australia’s Josh Hazlewood, who dismissed Gurbaz for 21 runs from 25 balls.

Despite the early loss of Gurbaz, Zadran and Rahmat Shah combined forces in the middle and put on an impressive 83-run partnership for the third wicket. Rahmat contributed 30 runs from 44 balls before Glenn Maxwell managed to get rid of him. Shortly after, Mitchell Starc dealt another blow to Afghanistan, sending skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi back to the pavilion for 26 runs from 43 deliveries. 

Adam Zampa added to Australia’s success in the 43rd over by dismissing Azmatullah Omarzai, who scored 22 runs from just 18 balls. As the innings progressed, Hazlewood returned to claim the wicket of Mohammad Nabi for 12 runs from 10 balls, further denting Afghanistan’s progress. 

However, Zadran continued to anchor the innings, leading Afghanistan’s fight against the Australian bowling attack. Apart from Zadran’s heroics, Rashid Khan also made a valuable contribution, scoring an unbeaten 35 runs from just 18 deliveries, adding valuable runs to the Afghanistan total in the final overs of their innings. It would be interesting to see Australia’s response to this imposing total as both teams vie for victory in this highly anticipated encounter.