Match Day Live with Urooj Mumtaz and Shane Bond
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Victory for Afghanistan!
Afghanistan make history by beating Pakistan for the first time in ODI cricket, and WHAT a way to do it! They've not just beaten Pakistan here in Chennai, they have dismantled them. Dominant from start to finish, almost, they were always ahead of the game. Strangling Pakistan with the spin, and then blowing them away at the top of the order.
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A dominant performance
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Babar's faith in legspin
Bit unusual, this. Hasan Ali had Afghanistan under the pump, Shaheen was getting a hint of reverse swing, and Iftikhar had kept things tight from the other end. But over the last few overs, Babar has taken all of them out of the attack and brought on the two struggling legspinners Shadab Khan and Usama Mir. Babar might be backloading and avoiding a repeat of getting stuck with a spinner for the final over, but at this rate, it's not going to go that deep. 44 off 42
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"Sometimes it's cramp..."
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The runs have suddenly dried up for Afghanistan
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Ibrahim falls!
87 off 113
They say that number's unlucky in Australia, and they might get some agreement from Afghanistan today. Hasan Ali bowled a tight previous over, conceding just one, and he's kept it up here. Just a hint of extra bounce as Ibrahim Zadran tried to slash one that was too close to cut, getting a top edge and giving Pakistan a glimmer
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Chepauk turns out for Pakistan: Deivarayan Muthu
It's a public holiday in Chennai, and the fans have come out in droves to soak in this Pakistan vs Afghanistan clash. As of 6.30pm IST, 21,500 spectors were present at Chepauk along with kids from a number of schools. It's safe to say that the Babar green jersey's outnumber Rashid's blue in the stands. Babar elicited a rousing reception - and a popular Tamil number from the movie Vikram Vedha - when he walked out to bat earlier in the afternoon. The cheers only grew louder when he got off the mark with a creamy back-foot drive. Haris Rauf also appears to be a fan favourite at Chepauk - he had the fans chanting his name, when he was at the long-on boundary. Pakistan's bowlers haven't had too many things going their way in the evening, but the Chepauk crowd is still rooting for them.
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Naseem Shah has just made a prediction
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Job half done?
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Shaheen into the attack, Shaheen with a wicket
First ball back into the attack and Babar Azam's change has worked. Gurbaz couldn't latch onto the short ball, top edging to deep third, where Usama Mir - who dropped Warner off Shaheen so expensively last game - takes a really good catch. They huddle together after the wicket, where Imam assumes the role of de facto captain for what sounded like a stirring team talk. Babar did nod in agreement at the end to be fair. Let's see how it impacts things
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Afghanistan are cruising here
100 in 15.3 overs
It's been total dominance from the Afghan openers. They have been all over every Pakistan bowler, right arm pace, left arm pace, leg spinner, the other leg spinner, it doesn't matter. And both openers now half half-centuries, while they're into three figures. Dominant at drinks
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Openers make it Afghanistan's Powerplay so far
Gurbaz and Ibrahim have kept the run rate healthy, and Harif Rauf's first over is disappointing, just like his first against Australia was. Four boundaries at the hands of Gurbaz see the Afghans bring up the 50 partnership inside eight overs, the third one a creamy backfoot punch through the cover region. While he cut Gurbaz in half with the final ball, luck wasn't on his side, with the inside edge racing away
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Bright start from Afghanistan
With batting expected to become trickier once spin comes in, Gurbaz and Zadran have wasted no time chipping away into this target with four boundaries in the first two overs. If the fast bowlers cannot make breakthroughs, it only piles the pressure further on Pakistan's shaky legspin duo of Shadab Khan and Usama Mir, who will have fewer runs to play with.
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And when all is said and done
282 Pakistan finish strong
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Iftimania comes to an end
What an outstanding innings from Iftikhar Ahmed, one that might make all the difference to the final outcome. On a pitch where no one else could really get it off the square, Iftikhar bludgeoned his way to 40 off 27, setting up a late assault that will propel Pakistan past 280. It included two fours and four sixes, and the pacers generally seemed clueless about where to bowl to him
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The Pakistan acceleration is finally here
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Noor enjoys the last laugh over Babar Azam
Off the final ball of Rashid's eighth over, Babar miscued to long-on, where young Noor dashed in and watched the ball fall agonisingly short as he plucked it on the half-volley. That gave him the single that would put him on strike against Noor in his final over. The Pakistan captain lofted him back over his head first ball and looked to put the young man under pressure. But off the penultimate delivery, Noor would strike back as Babar scooped him to cover, where Nabi took a straightforward catch.
Fascinating little battle between an experienced Pakistani master and teenage Afghan blood. And as Noor gave Babar a steely look with a fistpump to send him off - having sent Rizwan off earlier - it looks to be the first battle of many that Noor will go on to win.
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Babar Azam in a moment of Pakistani vulnerability
50 in 69 balls
It's his second half-century in three games, but Pakistan cannot afford for him to do what he did against India, and succumb right after. Mohammad Nabi just finished a superb spell in which he got rid of Saud Shakeel, and Pakistan are vulnerable right now
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A little Pakistan resurgence?
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They didn't score a boundary for about 50 balls, but a little Afghan sloppiness and a couple of boundaries have seen the run rate inch up once more
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This is now a Noor Ahmad fan account
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Boy wonder strikes again!
Mohammad Rizwan falls this time, an ugly swipe from so far outside off stump it might have been in a different postcode. To top it off, it's that deceptive finger spin that sees the ball going further away, and Rizwan's bottom edge flies up to fine leg. A bit of a wobble for Pakistan here
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Noor Ahmed snares Shafique
Bit of a weird innings from Abdullah Shafique comes to an end. It began burning brightly, as he hit two Powerplay sixes and raced to 35 off 31. But as the post-Powerplay spin came on, the innings faded badly, with a mere 23 off his final 44 balls.
And it's baby-faced, 18-year old Noor Ahmad who snares him with a wrong'un as Shafique tries to swipe one across the line. The umpire imagined it was going down, but he ignored the quality of the spin Noor had imparted upon it. The Afghan guys jump on him in the huddle, tousling his thick luscious hair in celebration. Who wouldn't really?
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Another day, another half-century
50 for Abdullah Shafique
It's his third in four World Cup matches. He has looked completely at ease with the pressure of the occasion, and been sublime today/ Slowed down a bit after the Powerplay, but he's lent Pakistan a solid foundation
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Probing first over from Rashid
Interesting battle between Rashid and Babar that first over. Rashid banged one in a bit too short the Pakistan captain failed to muscle over long-on and then found himself done by a googly and squared up by a conventional spinner. Gets through the over, just about, but this is going to be a fascinating passage of play as the Afghanistan spinners take over
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Afghanistan claw Pakistan back after Powerplay
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Pakistan openers solid
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It has finally happened!
Hold the phone, hold your nerve. Pakistan have actually hit a six in the Powerplay, their first of 2023. Every one of the other 22 or 23 sides that play ODI cricket have managed one this year; Pakistan had not. Not until Abdullah Shafique rocked onto the back foot and hooked Naveen ul Haq behind square leg.
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Anthems taking place before Pakistan bat
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Match Day live with Urooj Mumtaz and Shane Bond
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Toss imminent
It's hot in Chennai, blazingly hot, apparently. Both captains are about to walk out for the toss. Join us here for the next eight hours or so
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