Afghanistan vs South Africa 2024 ODI series: Sharjah Cricket Stadium pitch history and ODI records
Sharjah Cricket Stadium will host a three-match ODI series between South Africa and Afghanistan, starting today evening (September 18). It is the first-ever bilateral ODI series between the two countries.
So far, South Africa and Afghanistan have battled only twice in the 50-over format, where the Proteas emerged victorious on both occasions. Both games happened at the grand stage of the Cricket World Cup.
Before the historic ODI series gets underway in Sharjah, here's a quick look at the pitch history of the venue.
Sharjah Cricket Stadium ODI records
249 matches have taken place in Sharjah, with teams chasing a target winning on 115 occasions. The average run rate at this venue has been 4.58, while there hasn't been a successful run-chase of a target of more than 300.
Here are some other important stats that fans should know from previous ODIs hosted by Sharjah:
ODI matches played: 249
Won by teams batting first: 132
Won by teams batting second: 115
Tied: 2
Highest team total: 364/7 - Pakistan vs New Zealand, 2014
Lowest team total: 54 - India vs Sri Lanka, 2000
Highest successful run-chase: 285/2 - Australia vs Pakistan, 2019
Average first innings score: 224
Highest individual score: 189 - Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) vs India, 2000
Best bowling figures: 7/30 - Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) vs India, 2000.
Sharjah Cricket Stadium pitch report
The pitch in Sharjah is generally flat. Still, batting is not that easy, especially in ODIs. Pacers get some swing at this venue initially, while as the match progresses, the spinners get a good amount of turn.
The exact pitch report for every match of the Afghanistan vs South Africa ODI series will be broadcast live before the toss happens.
Sharjah Cricket Stadium last ODI match
Afghanistan crushed Ireland by 117 runs in the last ODI match hosted by Sharjah. The match happened on March 12, 2024. Half-centuries from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hashmatullah Shahidi guided Afghanistan to 236/9 in 50 overs.
Chasing 237 for a victory, Ireland were bundled out for just 119 runs. 19 wickets fell in the match, with spinners taking 12 of them. Only six sixes were hit in that contest. Here's a summary of the scorecard:
Brief scores: Afghanistan 236/9 (Hashmatullah Shahidi 69, Mark Adair 3/51) beat Ireland 119 (Paul Stirling 50, Mohammad Nabi 5/17) by 117 runs.