Zimbabwe National Cricket Team Vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard
Zimbabwe’s initial Test performances sparked criticism that they had been granted Test status too quickly, yet they quickly proved competitive in one-day cricket and enjoyed some success against Full Member teams.
Zimbabwe National Cricket Team Vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard highlights Zimbabwe’s batting collapses and Afghanistan’s strong pace-spin control, leading to one-sided contests.
| Match | Format | Scorecard | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | T20I | Zimbabwe 125/10 (19.3) vs Afghanistan 129/3 (18.0) | Afghanistan won by 7 wickets |
| 2 | T20I | Zimbabwe 127/10 (16.1) vs Afghanistan 180/6 (20.0) | Afghanistan won by 53 runs |
| 3 | T20I | Zimbabwe 148/10 (17.1) vs Afghanistan 193/5 (20.0) | Afghanistan won by 45 runs |
| 4 | T20I | Zimbabwe 150/7 (20.0) vs Afghanistan 198/5 (20.0) | Afghanistan won by 48 runs |
| 5 | ODI | Zimbabwe 127/10 (30.1) vs Afghanistan 131/2 (26.5) | Afghanistan won by 8 wickets |
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan 1st T20I
Zimbabwe were determined to avenge an underwhelming test match by making amends in the three-match T20I series, but Afghanistan easily ended their hopes for comeback by way of fast bowler Ngarava and Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s disciplined performance with the ball.
Stand-in captain Ibrahim Zadran won the toss and elected for Afghanistan to bat first. They made an auspicious start, with Sikandar Raza and Ibrahim Zadran sharing an unbroken 50-run partnership that extended over many overbatted innings.
But soon thereafter, their opponents experienced an abrupt collapse, losing two wickets within five balls. Ryan Burl was first to fall, edged a short delivery from Omarzai into mid-on; Shahidullah then struck with his second over, trapping Mohammad Nabi with an accurate length ball from Shahidullah to leave Mohammad Nabi lbw and taking another scalp.
Zadran and Sediqullah Atal made an initial recovery when they added 47 runs off 27 balls for the third wicket to bring stability back into their innings, only for Omarzai to return in his next over and trap Atal leg-before with a carrom ball disguised as an ordinary one – only for it all to go for nothing in the end.
Mujeeb continued his adept bowling against Zimbabwe in the final over, using an effective blend of pace and spin to rattle their batsmen with his left-armer’s clever combination of pace and spin deliveries.
A clever jig from Mujeeb produced a top edge from Tashinga Musekiwa which was caught at deep backward square leg for 25.
Evans too was bowled off a slower delivery from Ngarava while trying to hit sixes off slower balls – leaving Zimbabwe struggling at 107 for 6 as they managed solitary fours from Ryan Burl and Tinotenda Maposa’s 15 ball 32 as highlights from Zimbabwe’s innings – eventually winning by 9 runs to secure an unbeaten T20I series victory for Afghanistan 3-0 T20I series win!
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I
Afghanistan quickly rebounded after suffering their worst Test defeat ever and won by 9 runs in Harare in their second T20I match, taking control of the three-match series 3-0. Stand-in captain Ibrahim Zadran won the toss and elected to bat first with openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran both scoring half centuries, helped by Sediqullah Atal’s quick cameo to post an incredible total of 210/3 in 20 overs.
Zimbabwe fell two wickets early on in its response, yet Sikandar Raza and Brian Bennett rebuilt their innings by forging an important partnership that saw both score fifties before being dismissed by Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Ryan Burl attempted to rally their innings with an entertaining 37-ball knock; unfortunately however, their target proved too great for them to reach.
Ngarava’s five-wicket haul helped Afghanistan secure an easy victory in the second T20I and complete their 3-0 sweep in the series. Afghanistan were well supported by Fareed Ahmad (2/38), Fazal Haq Farooqi (2/29) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (1/30), marking this win as their fifth consecutive T20I win in as many attempts.
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan 3rd T20I
Zimbabwe were powerless to keep up with Afghanistan’s rampaging batsmen and fell short by nine runs in their match against Zimbabwe. Stand-in captain Ibrahim Zadran won the toss and elected for Afghanistan to bat first despite Rashid Khan having to miss due to finger injury; openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran shared an amazing 159 run partnership for their opening wicket while Sediqullah Atal also chipped in quickly to help Afghanistan post 210/3 runs in their first innings.
Zimbabwe lost two wickets early in its chase but Sikandar Raza and Brian Bennett put on an impressive partnership at third wicket to keep scoring underway. Ryan Burl and Musekiwa played entertaining cameo roles to give Zimbabwe hope; unfortunately they could not meet such an overwhelming target.
Afghanistan ended the three-match series against Zimbabwe with an emphatic performance, defeating them 3-0 to complete their tour of Zimbabwe and secure their biggest ever tour win since 2013. Following this success, they will travel home before facing Pakistan in one Test match and three T20I matches later in November.
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan 4th T20I
Zimbabwe have made an impressive start to their T20I campaign despite missing out on qualification for the 2024 World Cup, defeating tournament co-host Sri Lanka in their inaugural match. They achieved this triumph thanks to Brendan Taylor’s amazing batting performance; recording his first international half-century while also contributing with exceptional wicketkeeping (catching, stumping and running out).
Afghanistan put up an admirable fight, scoring 238/6 from their twenty overs despite losing early wickets. Zimbabwe were unable to chase this target as Afghanistan’s bowlers picked up wickets regularly and prevented Zimbabwe from scoring more runs.
Nabi proved unstoppable on the day, taking four wickets including those of Amir Hamza and Akmal Habib – Hamza was run out for an duck, while Habib was run out with the very last ball of his final over to leave Zimbabwe at 107/4.
The hosts were in trouble early and quickly lost two more wickets to Brad Evans – Kamindu Mendis and Pathum Nissanka both succumbing to Brad’s bowling, with Pathum Nissanka falling due to Nabi himself bowling his own deliveries; yet Nabi kept up his relentless efforts, eventually taking out Samit Patel for one last crucial wicket.
Zimbabwe were all out for an unimpressive total of 127 runs after twenty overs, yet had every opportunity to win their match against Australia. Unfortunately, they were ultimately unsuccessful.
Afghanistan previously played an impressive Test series against Zimbabwe. They defeated Pakistan in the first one-day international, but fell short by one point when playing against Australia and England; nonetheless, Afghanistan are definitely worth keeping an eye out for in future as they possess great potential and boast some of the game’s finest young talent on their side.
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