Afghanistan hands South Africa another heavy defeat

Afghanistan beat South Africa by 10 wickets in the second Test at Boland Park in Paarl on Tuesday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the two-match series.

Chasing 120 for victory, Afghanistan reached their target in just 18.4 overs. Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Riaz Hassan both made half-centuries, with Gurbaz finishing on 61 not out and Hassan hitting 50 before he was caught by Wiaan Mulder off the bowling of Marco Jansen.

The victory was Afghanistan's first Test win over South Africa and their second Test win away from home. It also marked the first time that Afghanistan had won a Test series away from home.

South Africa had resumed their second innings on Tuesday on 215/9, needing just 12 runs to make Afghanistan bat again. However, they lost their last wicket, that of Jansen, to Rashid Khan in the first over of the day.

Afghanistan then made a solid start to their chase, with Gurbaz and Hassan putting on 75 for the first wicket. Hassan was eventually caught by Mulder for 50, but Gurbaz continued to bat aggressively and reached his half-century off just 46 balls.

Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran (26 not out) then saw Afghanistan home to victory, with Gurbaz hitting the winning runs with a boundary off the bowling of Mulder.

The victory was a significant achievement for Afghanistan, who are still a relatively new Test nation. It is also a major setback for South Africa, who have now lost their last three Test series.