Hashmatullah Shahidi’s Century Overshadowed as Afghanistan Penalised Five Runs for Pitch Violation

Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi produced a fighting century in the third ODI against India at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday. However, an unusual incident during his innings resulted in Afghanistan being docked five runs.

The left-hander, batting at No. 4, repeatedly ran through the protected area of the pitch while taking singles. Despite receiving multiple warnings from the on-field umpires, Shahidi continued to infringe the rule.

The umpires finally acted on the last ball of the 40th over. As Shahidi completed a single alongside Rashid Khan, the officials stopped play and imposed a five-run penalty on Afghanistan. The run completed by the batters was also not counted, with Rashid Khan taking strike at the start of the next over.

As a result, India began their chase with the scoreboard already reading 5/0 due to the penalty runs awarded under the Laws of Cricket.

Afghanistan Collapse After Recovery

The penalty added to Afghanistan’s troubles in an innings that never fully gained momentum. Reduced to 36/4 inside the first 10 overs, the visitors were rescued by Shahidi’s maiden ODI hundred and a half-century from Azmatullah Omarzai.

The pair helped Afghanistan recover before another collapse saw them lose their last five wickets for just 20 runs. From 198/5, they were eventually bowled out for 218 in the 45th over.

There were also two run-outs during the closing stages, further denting Afghanistan’s hopes of posting a competitive total.

Prasidh Krishna Stars with Maiden ODI Five-Wicket Haul

India’s bowling attack was led by Prasidh Krishna, who ripped through Afghanistan’s top order with figures of 4/6 in his opening spell.

The pacer returned later to claim his fifth wicket and complete the first five-wicket haul of his ODI career. His early strikes left Afghanistan reeling and put India in complete control before Shahidi and Omarzai mounted a brief resistance.

Despite Shahidi’s landmark century, Afghanistan’s innings will be remembered as much for the rare five-run penalty as for the captain’s batting effort.