Mankad storm erupts amid insane finish in Afghanistan vs. Pakistan 2nd ODI

The storm around the Mankad has erupted once again amid insane scenes between two rival nations in a nailbiting ODI finish no one saw coming.

The storm around the Mankad has erupted once again after Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi successfully executed the dismissal to remove Pakistan’s Shadab Khan in the dying moments of what would have been a historic upset victory in the most ridiculous of circumstances for Afghanistan in the second ODI at Hambantota.

Having been skittled for 59 in the first ODI, Afghanistan bounced back in Hambantota to post their seventh-highest ever ODI total, setting Pakistan 302 to win.

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With Pakistan needing 11 off the final over with only two wickets remaining and tailenders Naseem Shah and Khan at the crease, Farooqi resorted to the controversial mode of dismissal after seeing Khan backing up early, and sent him on his way without having delivered the ball.

Naseem then hit the first ball he faced for four, before a dot, a single, a Haris Rauf three and then another boundary off the penultimate delivery to give Pakistan a dramatic one-wicket win.

The 20-year-old miscued a boundary off Farooqi and ran jubilantly towards the dressing room as Pakistan scored 11 off the final over to finish with 9/302 in 49.5 overs.

The run-out sent social media into a frenzy, with journalist Farid Khan livid.

“Understand the difference between mankad/run-out and cheating,” Khan said on Twitter.

“The bowler has to complete his action and then dislodge the bails if the batter has left his crease early.

“Farooqi had no intention to deliver that ball, he was always looking for that cheap dismissal. He didn‘t even complete the action, he just took the bails off half way.”

Journalist Tasneem Summer-Khan similarly took issue with the incomplete action.

“That‘s not even close to being a mankad within the laws – there was ZERO attempt to bowl a delivery,” Summer-Khan wrote.

The victory gave Pakistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series with the last game in Colombo on Saturday.

Pakistan’s late surge overshadowed Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s career-best run-a-ball 151 that lifted his team to 5/300 in their 50 overs.

Fazalhaq Farooqi made no attempt to finish his bowling delivery stride.

The final two overs of Pakistan’s chase were full of drama.

Shadab Khan hit Abdul Rahman for a four and a six off the last two balls of the 49th over before Nasseem’s heroics.

Naseem had hit the same bowler for two last over sixes to give Pakistan victory by one wicket in the Asia Cup Twenty20 game in Sharjah last year.

Shadab, whose 35-ball 48 contained three fours and a six, revived Pakistan’s chase in the final overs after his team fell to 7/258.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam praised his players after the game.

“All credit to the boys,” said Azam, whose team will jump to number one in ODI rankings if they win the final match.

“We knew we could chase 80 or 90 in the last 10 overs and praise for Naseem who comes up in crunch situations.” Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi admitted the defeat was painful.

“It is hurting because we had enough runs but at the last moment they took the game away from us,” said Shahid, blaming the penultimate over for the swing of fate.

“The … 49th over there were some easy balls to the batsman and they smashed it.”

Afghanistan's Fazalhaq Farooqi runs out Pakistan's Shadab Khan at the nonstriker's end in the 2nd ODI.

Earlier, the 21-year-old Gurbaz shared an opening stand of 227 with Ibrahim Zadran, who scored a 101-ball 80, after Afghanistan won the toss and batted.

Gurbaz hit 14 fours and three sixes against a world-class attack that had reduced Afghanistan to 59 all out in the first game on Tuesday.

Gurbaz’s previous best was 145 against Bangladesh in Chattogram last month.

Zadran also hit out brilliantly with six boundaries and two sixes.

Spinner Usama Mir broke the opening stand in the 40th over when he had Zadran caught at long off.

Pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Gurbaz caught behind in the 45th over.

Shaheen also had Rashid out for two to finish with 2/58.

Nabi made a run-a-ball 29 before he was caught off Naseem Shah as Afghanistan piled up 73 runs in the last ten overs.

Fast bowler Haris Rauf, who picked up a career-best 5/18 in the first match, went for 48 in seven overs without success.

– with AFP