Afghanistan secured their third consecutive win in the ODI World Cup on Friday (Nov 3) as they downed the Netherlands by seven wickets in Lucknow. The win has now seen the Giant Killers take the fifth spot in the league standings with two more matches to go and are firmly in the race to make the semifinals. Chasing a target of 180, Rahmat Shah (52) and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (unbeaten 56) led from the front to register the side’s fourth win of the tournament.

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Afghanistan secure third consecutive win

Having already managed to beat England and Pakistan in the group stage, Afghanistan were clear favourites to win against the Netherlands. Tasked to chase 180, the Afghans did not have the best start with Rahmanullah Gurbaz (10) departing early in the first powerplay. His opening partner Ibrahim Zadran (20) also did not last long before he was scalped by veteran Roelof van der Merwe on the first ball after the first powerplay.

However, Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi then laid the foundation for the win with a 74-run stand for the third wicket with the former departing after scoring a fifty. Azmatullah Omarzai would then add a significant contribution to the scoreboard to help Afghanistan win.

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Earlier, Mohammad Nabi’s excellent bowling figures restricted the Dutch to 179 in 46.3 overs with him ending with figures of 28/3. Noor Ahmad also scalped four wickets while Mujeeb Ur Rahman ended with one wicket. Interestingly, there were four run-outs in the Netherlands innings showcasing their vulnerability. 

Sybrand Engelbrecht was the top scorer with 58 off 86 which consisted of 6 fours before he was sent packing. Only five batters got in double figures for the Dutch before they were bowled out for 179.

Afghanistan will next take on five-time champions Australia on Tuesday (Nov 7) in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, with South Africa waiting in the final league match. Netherlands take on England before they end the campaign against host India in Bengaluru on Sunday (Nov 12).

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