Afghanistan Crush Zimbabwe by 53 Runs to Take 1-0 Lead in T20 Series
Afghanistan got off to a perfect start in their T20 series against Zimbabwe, securing a convincing 53-run victory in the first match at Harare Sports Club on Wednesday, October 29. After a disappointing run of five consecutive T20 losses — two in the Asia Cup and three against Bangladesh — the Afghan side came back strong, showing their depth, discipline, and all-round balance.
Afghanistan batted first and posted a solid total of 180 for 6 in their 20 overs. The innings was built on a strong start from openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz , who provided early momentum. Their partnership laid the platform for the middle order to capitalize, with Azmatullah Omarzai playing a key role both with bat and ball. He was later named Player of the Match for his match-winning performance.
Omarzai shared after the game that their target was always above 160, and the team executed the plan well despite the pitch slowing down as the innings progressed. “We used variations with the ball and stayed disciplined,” he said. “The wicket was a bit slow, but the ball was coming nicely.”
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In response, Zimbabwe’s chase never quite got going. The hosts were bowled out for 127 in just 16.1 overs , falling well short of the target. The top order collapsed dramatically, with four of the top five batters contributing only a single run each. Early strikes from Azmatullah Omarzai and Mujeeb Ur Rahman set the tone, and Zimbabwe found themselves struggling to recover from those early blows.
Though Brad Evans and Tinotenda Maposa showed some resistance with an entertaining partnership, their efforts were too little, too late. Maposa’s 32 off 15 balls provided a brief spark, but once Mujeeb returned to the attack, he swiftly removed both batters. Mujeeb finished with excellent figures, claiming four wickets and closing out the match in style.
Captain Rashid Khan expressed relief after the victory, saying, “We needed this win. The openers gave us a good base, and it was a brilliant team effort. We’ve had a few tough games recently, but this performance showed our intent.”
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza admitted that his team was “off the mark” on the day. “If we had wickets in hand by the 15th over, it could have been a different story. The pitch didn’t have much pace, but it was still chaseable,” he reflected.
With this win, Afghanistan now lead the series 1-0 , and they’ll look to carry this momentum into the second T20I on Friday. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, will aim to regroup quickly and come back stronger at home.
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