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Afghanistan enter the top 10 of ICC ODI rankings for the first time

Afghanistan’s 49-run-win against Zimbabwe in Sharjah on Friday meant they replace Zimbabwe to enter the top 10 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) chart

Afghanistan © Getty Images
Afghanistan © Getty Images

After Afghanistan’s 49-run-win over Zimbabwe in Sharjah on Friday, it helped them to enter the top 10 of ICC One-Day Internationals (ODIs) rankings for the first time. The key players for the win were Noor Ali Zadran who made 63 and lift-arm spinner Amir Hamza who took four wickets respectively, as Afghanistan defended the lowest total of 131. They will continue to remain the 10th position if they manage to win the five-match series against Zimbabwe on Tuesday. If they lose the match, they will fall down to No.12 ranking, lagging behind Zimbabwe and Ireland. FULL SCORECARD: Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, 2nd ODI at Sharjah

As reported on espncricinfo.com, the year 2015 has been promising for Afghanistan, as they made their maiden entry to ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and won their first match against Scotland. They built on the success by registering their first bilateral series win over a Test nation when they beat Zimbabwe 3-2 in a five-match series in Bulawayo in October. They were one match down and bounced back to win the series against Zimbabwe. It made them the first Associate to topple a full member in bilateral series. ALSO READ: 2015 Yearender: A fruitful year for the emergent power, Afghanistan

Afghanistan never ceases to wonder. The record for chasing the lowest total remains with India, where they defended 105 against Bangladesh last year, thanks to a freakish 6 for 4 by Stuart Binny. History came to haunt Zimbabwe once again as Afghanistan made a miraculous comeback with the ball, after a poor outing with the ball, as they skittled Zimbabwe for a paltry total of 82 at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium on Friday.

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