ASHLEY DUBE
HARARE – Afghanistan clinched a thrilling three-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the final T20I at Harare Sports Club on Saturday, securing a 2-1 series win. Zimbabwe's bowlers fought courageously to defend a modest 127, pushing Afghanistan to the final over before the visitors prevailed with three balls to spare.
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| Image: Zimbabwe Cricket |
Winning the toss, Afghanistan chose to bowl first. Tadiwanashe Marumani's stay at the crease was short-lived yet again as he was dismissed. Caught out off the bowling of Naveen. Brian Bennett (31 off 24) and Dion Myers (13) added 41 runs, but Zimbabwe's innings faltered after Bennett’s dismissal.
Sikandar Raza (6) and Wessly Madhevere (21) also fell.Rashid Khan (4/27) wreaked havoc, claiming four of the last five wickets. Wellington Masakadza (17) and Tashinga Musekiwa (12) offered late resistance, with Zimbabwe finishing on 127 all out.
Afghanistan's chase started disastrously, with Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava quickly removing Sediqullah Atal and Zubaid Akbari, leaving them at 7/2. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Darwish Rasooli added 33 before both fell, leaving Afghanistan 33/4.
Azmatullah Omarzai (34) and Gulbadin Naib (22) rebuilt the innings with a composed partnership, before Raza took two quick wickets. With 14 runs needed from the last two overs, Mohammad Nabi hit a boundary, but Rashid Khan was caught out fueling more drama to the run chase.
Nabi's experience however shone through in the final over, hitting a boundary and a two before securing victory with a single off the bowling of Faraz . Muzarabani and Raza impressed with bowling figures of 2/19.
Key Takeaways:
Batting Requires Significant Improvement
The recent series against Pakistan and Afghanistan exposed conspicuous weaknesses in Zimbabwe's batting.
While Brian Bennett showed consistency, scoring 107 runs, the middle order proved exceptionally fragile, repeatedly collapsing and preventing Zimbabwe from batting their full quota of overs in two of three matches.
Substantial improvement would be needed for the Chevrons to compete effectively in the 50-over format.
Bowling Performance a Positive
A major positive was the strong bowling performance, with Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani forming a potent opening attack.
Trevor Gwandu provided excellent support and proved a valuable death-overs option. The spin bowling, led by Wellington Masakadza and T20I captain Sikandar Raza, also contributed significantly and could form the foundation for future squad selections.
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