Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by 53 runs in the opening Twenty20 International to give their team an early lead in the series after being thrashed in the one-off Test. After the openers helped Afghanistan reach 180, Azmatullah Omarzai and Mujeeb Ur Rahman destroyed the home team, bowling them out for just 127.
Mujeeb struck off consecutive deliveries, including the crucial wicket of veteran Brendan Taylor, in just the second over, giving Zimbabwe a terrible start. Zimbabwe was quickly reduced to 25/4 as Omarzai entered the game and scored twice in the very next over, giving the hosts very little time to recover. When opener Brian Bennett became Omarzai’s third victim, that quickly turned into 30/5.
The game was essentially over with all five of the top players back in the pavilion. Before Mujeeb returned to end the match with a four-wicket haul, Brad Evans contributed 24 runs lower in the order and Tinotenda Maposa amused with a 15-ball 32 to enable Zimbabwe reach three figures. The openers created the ideal foundation for the guests earlier in the day. Afghanistan’s openers had scored 76 runs for the first wicket if Zimbabwe had just lost their top five for 30.
With the wicketkeeper hitting Richard Ngarava for three fours in a single over, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran appeared to be in excellent form. After hitting Blessing Muzarabani for the first six of the game, Zadran went on to hit a fantastic boundary over covers with the very next ball. Following a 16-run over that welcomed Evans to the crease, Gurbaz completed the powerplay with consecutive boundaries.
When the veteran ultimately ended the collaboration, Zimbabwe wanted Sikandar Raza to provide them some respite. With nine overs remaining, Afghanistan set themselves up for a huge total of 103/1, but Zadran went on to make a fifty. Then, with a double wicket over that needed a reset, Raza put the brakes on. Muzarabani’s double-wicket over to cut the visitors to 128/5 gave Zimbabwe the appearance of dominance, but crucial late-inning cameos from Omarzai and Shahidullah Kamal drove Afghanistan’s impressive finish.
