AFG vs ZIM: Series Win For Afghanistan

Afghanistan won the AFG vs ZIM T20I series in style in Harare. A disciplined bowling effort from Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, and Abdollah Ahmadzai restricted Zimbabwe at 125. Ibrahim Zadran’s steady half-century helped Afghanistan complete the chase and a comprehensive series win.

Mujeeb-ur-Rahman Strangles Zimbabwe’s Start

Right from the start, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman created the conditions for Afghanistan. The Zimbabwe openers were looking to settle, understanding that they were going to need to forge partnerships anyway, but Mujeeb’s control and variation were too much.

Dion Myers looked positive but perished while attempting a perilous sweep to short fine leg. The experienced Brendan Taylor, hoping to make amends for his failure in the first match, was under increased pressure as Mujeeb stopped the run flow.

Eventually, he fell trying to clear mid-off in the final over of the powerplay, and Zimbabwe found themselves struggling at 34 for 2. But despite their best intentions, Zimbabwe’s plans misfired against the crafty bowling of Mujeeb and tight lengths.

Abdollah Ahmadzai – The Enforcer Strikes

The surface in Harare offered some grip, but Abdollah Ahmadzai’s raw pace and bounce injected some life into the contest. Rattling Zimbabwe’s middle order, young pacer unsettled batters with sharp short deliveries.

His aggressive spell accounted for Ryan Burl, who mistimed a pull shot directly to the fielder, and left skipper Sikandar Raza having to rebuild again from another collapse. At the halfway mark, Zimbabwe reached only 57 for 4, unable to score freely in seven of the first ten overs.

Sikandar Raza Fights Alone

Skipper Sikandar Raza once again stood tall amidst the ruins. Coming into bat in the fifth over, he played two crisp boundaries off his first two balls in typical style. His best shot was against a misfired yorker from Ahmadzai, which he elegantly lofted over extra cover for four.

But just when Zimbabwe appeared to find their groove, Rashid Khan returned from a minor hand injury to send Raza back in the 17th over. From there, Rashid cleaned up the tail to finish with three wickets and send Zimbabwe packing for 125. Their highest partnership just 24 told the story of a batting lineup that struggled to click.

Ibrahim Zadran Anchors the Chase

Chasing 126, Afghanistan came out all guns blazing in the powerplay, smashing nine boundaries, three times more than what Zimbabwe could muster in their entire innings. Ibrahim Zadran played a very mature innings, his second T20I fifty in as many games, to anchor the chase.

Although Afghanistan took 43 balls to hit a boundary after the powerplay, the damage had already been done: They had scored 54 runs inside the first six overs and set themselves a platform for an easy victory.

Concerns Over Afghanistan’s Middle Order

This victory, though, did little to mask the middle order concerns for Afghanistan. Sediqullah Atal – who twisted his ankle while fielding – and Darwish Rasooli scored just 25 runs off 32 balls between them and slowed down the chase. The top order firing and the bowlers in form helped Afghanistan comfortably seal the AFG vs ZIM series.