ZIM vs AFG 2024/25, Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I, Harare Match Report, 13 Dec 2024

Afghanistan 153 for 6 (Rasooli 58, Omarzai 28, Burl 2-16, Gwandu 2-29) batting Zimbabwe 103 (Raza 35, Naveen 3-19, Rashid 3-20, Mujeeb 2-30) by 50 runs

Afghanistan stutters again in the power play

Afghanistan’s top order failed to fire for the second game in a row; they lost three wickets in the space of nine balls to end the powerplay at 41 for 3 – a slight improvement on their 34 for 4 in the first T20I.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz got going with a boundary that was hit through square in the first over, while Sediqullah Atal hit Blessing Muzarabani for two fours through the off side in the second.

But Trevor Gwandu made an immediate impression, striking with his first ball and Gurbaz gifted a catch to mid-off. Two balls later, Zubaid Akbari was run out trying to pinch a single to backward point which was never there.

Trying to keep Afghanistan’s momentum going, Atal pulled Muzarabani in front of square for his third boundary off the seam, but Muzarabani got the last laugh when he had Atal caught at cover point next ball.

Afghanistan could have lost a fourth wicket in the powerplay thanks to another mix-up, but Azmatullah Omarzai survived. Rasooli started with a pickup shot behind square off Gwandu and then lifted Wellington Masakadza over extra cover in the first over with no fielding restrictions.

Burl hits Afghanistan back with a double whammy

Omarzai, who took some time to wind down, pulled a Sikandar Raza halftracker over midwicket for the first six of the match in the tenth over.

He followed that up with another six down the ground in the next over, but holed out trying to hit Ryan Burl in the same areas. Brian Bennett took an excellent catch running across to the left from long-on, caught it high and tossed it up before taking a step outside the boundary rope and coming back to complete the catch.

In his next over, Burl dropped a short and Nabi miscued a pull to deep left of mid-wicket and Wessly Madhevere held on for a screamer at full length. Now Afghanistan had half their side back in the hut.

Rasooli gives Afghanistan a late surge

Rasooli edged Gwandu over mid-off in the next over before going downtown again as Burl almost pulled off another superb parried catch on the boundary, but replays showed he had made contact with the ground outside the boundary rope at the wrong time.

Naib then got a four from Raza as Afghanistan collected 22 runs from the two overs after Nabi’s wicket.

The best was yet to come. In the penultimate over, Rasooli hit Ngarava for three fours on the trot, getting his maiden T20I fifty in the process. It was 17 for the over and Afghanistan were targeting 150. Gwandu got him in the last over but conceded just the six runs to keep Zimbabwe’s target down to 154.

Omarzai, Naveen deal early blows

Zimbabwe began to build momentum from the second over of their chase, with both openers hitting Mujeeb for a four each before Bennett sent Naveen over deep midwicket for six.

But soon enough Naveen Tadiwanashe spotted Marumani coming down the track and pulled back his length and the batsman ended up cutting it to deep backward point.

Omarzai struck with another short ball where Dion Myers was caught at deep backward point.

Mujeeb derails Zimbabwe’s chase

Mujeeb came back into the attack immediately after the powerplay and got Madhevere to hit a drive straight to short cover.

In his next over, he baffled Bennett when he got one to turn past his outside edge and just clip the bail.

Rashid then joined in the fun when he caught Burl in front trying to sweep and at 57 for 5 Zimbabwe were on the ropes.

Naveen, Rashid closes the game

Tashinga Musekiwa, who hit the winning runs off the last ball of the first T20I, took Mujeeb on in his final over, drove him through extra cover and sent him over long-on in consecutive deliveries.

But Musekiwa’s counterattack was short-lived; Naveen rushed him with pace in the next over and he failed a simple catch to cover.

Rashid then struck twice in one over and the game was all but over.

Naveen had Raza caught at deep midwicket in the 17th over and Fareed Malik ended things by bowling Muzarabani next.