Shahidi, Shah prop up Afghanistan as they defend 222 against Netherlands
Half-centuries from both batters ensured they had enough on the board for Rashid Khan to work his magic
ESPNcricinfo staff
21-Jan-2022
Hashmatullah Shahidi was appointed Afghanistan captain last year • Getty Images
Afghanistan 222 for 8 (Shahidi 73, Shah 70, Glover 3-43) beat Netherlands 186 (Edwards 68, Rashid 3-31) by 36 runs
Hashmatullah Shahidi produced a match-winning half-century on debut as Afghanistan ODI captain. His knock, worth 73 runs in 94 balls, rescued a faltering innings, and once there was a total of 222 for 8 on the board, their stellar bowling attack, led by Rashid Khan, put the squeeze on Netherlands and beat them by 36 runs.
In conditions where hardly any batter from either side scored at more than run a ball, Afghanistan needed the expertise of their newly-appointed leader. Shahidi, batting at No. 4, struck four fours and two sixes as he shepherded the innings all the way through to the 50th over. He had the experienced Rahmat Shah for support, the right-hand batter scoring 70 off 102 balls. Only one of the other Afghanistan batters was able to push their score past 20, as Brandon Glover (9-0-43-3) and Fred Klaassen (10-1-39-2) kept things in check.
Netherlands' hopes of chasing the total down rested mostly on opener Scott Edwards. He scored 68 off 82 balls, with eight fours, but his dismissal - bowled by Mujeeb Ur Rahman - created the opening that Afghanistan needed to take control. Netherlands fell from 121 for 3 to 186 all out as Rashid (3-31), the fifth bowler into the attack, took care of business.