For Afghanistan, the tour of India has not been pleasant by any means. From being hammered in the Only Test in Mullanpur to losing the ODI series, the Afghans have endured a difficult tour of India. On Saturday, the visitors had a chance to make amends in the third and final ODI at Chepauk, which was already a dead rubber given that Afghanistan had already conceded the series.
But instead, they made it worse for themselves. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi battled cramps on his way to his maiden ODI century, but the milestone was overshadowed. Before India’s run chase of 219 began, they were awarded five penalty runs, effectively reducing the target to 214 in 50 overs.
India vs Afghanistan, 3rd ODI: Updates | Scorecard
This was because Shahidi and the Afghans were penalised for running on the danger area. As if that wasn’t enough, Azmatullah Omarzai had a first over he would want to forget. He leaked 23 runs in the opening over as India went on to record their highest-ever score in the first over of an ODI, surpassing the previous mark of 22 against Bangladesh in Colombo in 2004 at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
Omarzai was all over the place after he leaked two wides and two no balls. Immediately, Shahidi took him out of the attack and introduced left-arm seamer Fareed Ahmed into the attack to bowl alongside Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.
HOW AZMAT STRUGGLED IN THE FIRST OVER
Omarzai endured a nightmare opening over as he struggled to find control from the very first ball. He began with a wayward delivery outside off stump that was comfortably left alone, before following it up with a wide that drifted down the leg side.
The pacer then bowled a back-of-a-length delivery that was worked away for a couple of runs, but the pressure quickly mounted as Yashasvi Jaiswal punished a short and wide ball with a crisp cut shot for four. To add insult to injury, Omarzai also bowled a no-ball.
Thereafter, on the free hit, Omarzai again lost his rhythm, sending down another wide while still searching for control. On the same free hit sequence, he overstepped once more as Jaiswal drilled the ball for a four through mid-off, with Rahmat Shah unable to get across to make the stop. Although Sediqullah Atal took a catch on that delivery, it did not count due to the free hit.
Omarzai then produced another loose short ball, which Jaiswal cut away for four, before finally managing to land a decent-length delivery that was solidly defended.
– Ends
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