Despite being in a precarious place at 128 for 7, Zimbabwe managed to drag off a exceptional comeback in the ultimate two overs.
Zimbabwe clinched an exhilarating four-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the opening T20I of their three-match series on the Harare Sports Club. The residence staff efficiently chased down a goal of 145 runs on the last ball of the match, marking their first win towards Afghanistan since 2019 and giving them a 1-0 lead in the series.
Despite being in a precarious place at 128 for 7, Zimbabwe managed to drag off a exceptional comeback in the ultimate two overs. Tashinga Musekiwa performed a vital position in guiding his staff to victory, remaining unbeaten on 16*, whereas Wellington Masakadza contributed an explosive 6* off simply 2 balls. The match went all the way down to the wire, with Musekiwa sealing the win for Zimbabwe with a last-ball strike off Azmatullah Omarzai’s closing over.
In the sooner phases of the sport, Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani made vital breakthroughs by dismissing key Afghan batsmen. Ngarava eliminated opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mohammad Ishaq early on, whereas Muzarabani removed Hazratullah Zazai in the ultimate over of the powerplay. By the midway mark, Afghanistan was struggling at 58-5.
Trevor Gwandu and Wellington Masakadza continued to place strain on the Afghan batting lineup, taking essential wickets to additional dent their hopes of posting a aggressive complete. However, Karim Janat and Mohammad Nabi staged a exceptional restoration with a 79-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Janat performed a composed innings, ending unbeaten on 54* off 49 balls, whereas Nabi offered some much-needed aggression with a quickfire 44 off 27 balls.
Ultimately, Afghanistan managed to succeed in a decent complete of 144-6 by the tip of their 20 overs, establishing an thrilling end to the match.
Ngarava made a triumphant return to the pitch to safe the important thing wicket of Nabi in the penultimate over, boasting spectacular figures of 3-28 from his 4 overs. Despite (*4*) difficult complete of 144, Zimbabwe’s batting lineup confirmed willpower and resilience.
The Zimbabwean chase started strongly with openers Tadiwanashe Marumani and Brian Bennett on the helm. Marumani was sadly dismissed early on by Naveen-ul-Haq, however Bennett, accompanied by Dion Myers, steadied the ship. The duo shaped a vital 75-run partnership for the second wicket, with Bennett showcasing endurance and ability to attain 49 runs off 49 balls, whereas Myers contributed 32 runs off 29 balls, together with a number of boundaries and a six.
However, (*4*) bowlers staged a comeback. Mohammad Nabi eliminated Myers, and spinners Rashid Khan and Naveen-ul-Haq inflicted additional harm, resulting in a collapse in the center order. Naveen impressed with figures of 3-33, dismissing Sikandar Raza and Wessly Madhevere, whereas Rashid Khan bowled tightly to dismiss Bennett and Ryan Burl, ending with figures of 2-26.
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