Zimbabwe have hosted a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. But, Zimbabwe couldn’t defend the series at their home ground. Afghanistan have sealed the series by winning the first two games against the home team. Yesterday, the Afghans defeated Zimbabwe by 8-wickets at the Harare Sports Club Stadium. However, the final match in this series will take place on June 11.
Match Review
Hashmatullah Shahidi, the captain of Afghanistan, won the toss and decided to bowl first in the second match. So, Regis Chakabva and Innocent Kaia came down on the pitch to start the innings for the home team. But, they were very unfortunate as they couldn’t make a partnership. Regis Chakabva departed the pitch without scoring any runs for the team. Afghan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi picked up that wicket in the very first over.
After that, Innocent Kaia tried to play long innings with the skipper, Craig Ervine. Together they added 47 runs for the team. Both players were playing comfortably. But, Craig Ervine made a mistake in the 13th over. He fell into the trap of LBW. Before losing the wicket to Fareed Ahmed, he scored 32 runs for the team.
However, Innocent Kaia scored the highest 63 runs for Zimbabwe. He hit six boundaries and an over-boundary before the departure. In addition, Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl played very crucial innings. Sikandar Raza added 40 runs on the scoreboard, while Ryan Burl scored 51 runs for the team. Moreover, Ryan Burl remained not out in this match. Unfortunately, the remaining players of the home team couldn’t contribute much. As a result, Zimbabwe ended their innings in 228 runs.
Chasing the small target, Afghanistan also lost an early wicket. Rahmanullah Gurbaz had to go back to the pavilion in the 3rd over. But, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah were rock solid against Zimbabwe. They batted brilliantly in this match. Moreover, both batsmen picked up half-centuries. Although Rahmat Shah lost the wicket in 87 runs, Ibrahim Zadran never stopped. He picked up the century and remained not out in 121 runs. With these two big scores, Afghanistan successfully chased the target within 45 overs. As a result, Afghanistan won the second match and sealed the series against Zimbabwe.
