Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz played a match-winning knock for Afghanistan in the third and final ODI of their series against Bangladesh on Monday, November 11. Opening the innings for Afghanistan, the right-handed batter scored as 101 runs from 120 balls at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. This century by Gurbaz backed Afghanistan’s ability to successfully chase down a target of 245 runs, with just five wickets falling in 48.2 overs.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azmatullah Omarzai spur Afghanistan to a series win in Sharjah 👊#BANvAFG 📝: https://t.co/unHFIvGMLR pic.twitter.com/bXq5B9oOw5
---Advertisement---— ICC (@ICC) November 11, 2024
8th ODI Century For Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Gurbaz remained aggressive during his play, as he hit five boundaries and seven sixes. The Azmatullah Omarzai, scored 70 off 77 balls, came in very handy to ensure a chase was well-under way. Omarzai and Gurbaz added 100 runs for the fourth wicket. The duo helped Afghanistan recover from the early jolt that top order witnessed.
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Players With Most ODI Centuries Before 23
| Player | Country | ODI Centuries Before Turning 23 |
|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 8 |
| Quinton de Kock | South Africa | 8 |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Afghanistan | 8 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 7 |
| Upul Tharanga | Sri Lanka | 6 |
| Babar Azam | Pakistan | 6 |
Gurbaz’s Historic Milestone
Gurbaz achieved a milestone in scoring his eighth ODI century by equalizing the world record of most ODI centuries before reaching the age of 23. The record was held by Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar; the record now includes Gurbaz, who achieved this feat at 22 years and 349 days. Tendulkar scored his eighth century at 22 years and 357 days when his ODI career was finally over with 49 centuries. Another South African, Quinton de Kock, also finds a place in this list. Quinton De Kock scored his eighth ODI hundred at the age of 22 years and 312 days. He thereby became the youngest to have achieved that kind of a feat.
Gurbaz Steals The Show
Coming to Afghanistan, there’s Gurbaz who saw that century help Afghanistan clinch a series. Thanks to an excellent performance by Gurbaz, Afghanistan chased the target successfully and ended up with a 2-1 series win. A brief top-order collapse after this triumph proved to be pivotal in grabbing the series for the Shahidi-led side with the consistency of Gurbaz.
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Mahmudullah And Mehidy Shine For Bangladesh
Mahmudullah, playing like a true warrior with 98 runs from 100 balls, made the statement of the match, while stand-in captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz played another good all-round knock, striking 66 runs from 119 balls. He was leading the Bangladesh team in the series decider after regular captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was ruled out from this series due to a groin injury. Though both of them gave some individual efforts, the team could not make it to turn out to be a big day for Bangladesh, as they lost the series to Afghanistan.
