#afg vs zim

Zimbabwe VS Afghanistan: Sean Williams, Ervine AND Bennett Dominate the Pitch

Zimbabwe posted 586 on the Scoreboard after their first inning came to end.

The visitors’ bowling attack did not look effective on the first day.

1st test: Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan

Afghanistan began its first Test match against Zimbabwe on 26 December 2024. Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat first. Earlier, Afghanistan had won the T20 and ODI series against Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe starts with a good note. Opening debutant batsman Ben Curran contributed a fifty. He smashed 68 off 74 balls.

Seam Williams smashed his fifth Test century against Afghanistan in the first test match of the series. Left-hander Williams not only played comfortably against Afghanistan’s spin attack but also played nicely against seamers. He smashed sixes over long-on and long-off. Williams hits his half-century off 58 balls, and a century off 115 balls.

Zimbabwe lost his first wicket on 43 runs. Sean Williams played a stunning inning of 154 off 174 balls including 10 fours and 3 sixes. Williams has surpassed his highest test score of 151, which he set against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi three years ago. Afghanistan’s key spinner Rashid Khan is not a part of this match.

Zimbabwe’s Captain Craig Ervine supports Seam Williams, and they build a six-wicket-long partnership to keep their Dominance over Afghanistan. The visitors’ bowling attack did not look effective on the first day. After Williams, Ervine was back on his way and smashed a stunning century. He faced 176 balls and struck 104 runs with the help of 10 fours.

After losing Ervine’s wicket, Brian Bennett takes the charge. He hits the third century of the inning. Brian Bennett remained not out and smashed 110 off 124 balls. His century includes five 4s and four sixes. His century led Zimbabwe to shine on the Scoreboard.

Rain Delays Toss in Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan 1st ODI; Gurbaz Ruled Out

Rahmanullah Gurbaz was ruled out of the first ODI match due to a minor injury.

The first One-Day International (ODI) between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan was off to an unexpected start, as rain started before the toss. The toss, which is usually a crucial moment in any match, was delayed due to consistent showers at the venue, leaving fans and players to wait. The 1st-ODI match was set to be played at the Harare venue. Afghanistan haswon the three matches T20 series from Zimbabwe by 2-1. Zimbabwe will look to win the ODI series as they lost the T20 series, despite winning the first match of the series.

A Wet Start to the Series

Rain delays have often been a part of cricket, and the opening game of the series was no exception. As the rain clouds hovered over the ground. Despite the heavy rain, both teams were in high spirits, eagerly waiting for the skies to clear up.

Gurbaz’s Ruled Out: A Big Blow for Afghanistan

The team received another blow when opening batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz was ruled out of the first ODI match due to a minor injury. The young star, known for his aggressive batting style and explosive performances in T20s and ODIs, was a key player for Afghanistan, and his absence would undoubtedly be a setback for the team and fans.

What to Expect Once Play Resumes

If the weather clears and the match resumes, fans can expect a thrilling match, as both teams will be eager to make an early impact in the series. The focus will be on how both teams handle the pressure of a delayed start as pitch conditions might be changed.

For Afghanistan, the absence of Gurbaz could bring a fresh challenge in their batting department, while Zimbabwe will look to grab this opportunity. With both teams having strong bowling attacks and talented middle-order batsmen, the match promises to be a closely contested one, provided the rain stops and play is able to resume.

Zimbabwe’s Stunning T20 Victory Over Afghanistan

Image Credits | https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/?jn2TL

Zimbabwe Confirmed victory by 4 Wickets at the last ball of the Match in 1st T20, against Afghanistan at Harare.

Zimbabwe took the lead by 1-0 in the three T20 Matches series against Afghanistan. Afghanistan won the toss and elected to Bat First. Their opening pair went to Pavilion early. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was out on Duck and Sediqullah Atal lost his wicket on 3 runs. Richard Ngarava through a good-length bowl sent Mohammad Ishaq to the pavilion. Ngarava has taken his 2nd Wicket. At that time Afghanistan was looking Trouble. One down batsman, Hazratullah Zazai contributed 20 runs, including three boundaries, and was then dismissed by Blessing Muzarabani.

Afghanistan slipped further as their upper-order batsmen failed to glitter the Scoreboard. Karim Janat was struggling and due to that Azmatullah Omarzai looked to take the risk. He seems to go over long-on but mistimes it and is taken there. Bowling all-rounder, Karim Janat smashed a fifty, including 5 fours. His strike rate was not as good as it should have been, but he gave a quite good inning to Afghanistan in a Critical situation. He remained not out throughout the inning. Muhammad Nabi played a nice inning, 44 off 27 Ball faced, including five 4s and one 6s. Afg made 144-6 in 20 overs.

Zimbabwe had to chase 144 in 20 overs. Early in 3rd over Afg gets their first wicket. Naveen-ul-Haq struck and dismissed their opening batter Tadiwanashe Marumani.  Brian Bennett played a quite good inning 49 (49), including five 4s. A 75-run partnership between Dion Myers and Bennett pushed Zimbabwe to win. Muhammad Nabi came into action and broke the Partnership between them, as he sent Myers to Pavilion. Naveen-ul-Haq picked up three wickets while Rashid Khan got two and Muhammad Nabi got one.
Tashinga Musekiwa smashed 11 runs and hit the last ball towards the boundary, finalizing Zimbabwe’s win.

It was Zimbabwe’s 2nd-ever Victory in a T20I against Afghanistan. The second match of the T20 series will be played in Harare on Friday, 13 Dec.

Brian Bennett is Chosen as the Player of the Match.