South Africa recorded their maiden win in the ICC World Cup 2019 following victory by a margin of nine wickets against Afghanistan in Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on Saturday.
Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis won the toss and opted to field.
Afghanistan were bowled out for 125 runs in 34.1 overs on the back of a fine performance by the South African bowling attack led by Imran Tahir.
Tahir picked four wickets while conceding 29 runs in a spell of four overs, accounting for the dismissals of Noor Ali Zadran, Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan. Pacer Chris Morris was the second highest wicket-taker picking three wickets while conceding just 13 runs.
The Proteas were handed a target of 127 runs to chase following DLS regulations which they completed in 28.4 overs. Openers Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock were the key contributors in this regard, stitching a partnership of 104 runs, which virtually ensured a win.
Let us take a look at a few statistical highlights from the match:
# Proteas opener Quinton de Kock completed his 23rd half-century in ODI cricket following a knock of 68 runs off 72 deliveries against Afghanistan.
# Hashim Amla registered his highest score in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 after scoring 41 runs off 83 deliveries against Afghanistan.
# South Africa continue to maintain an unbeaten record against Afghanistan in International cricket with three wins in three matches between the two sides.
# South Africa and Afghanistan played their first ODI in International Cricket at Cardiff having played only T20 Internationals previously.
# Afghanistan have lost four successive matches in their ODI history for the second time. They had earlier recorded defeats in the last three matches of the 2015 World Cup which was further followed by a defeat in a bilateral series against Zimbabwe.
Source: Zee News