1st T20I
Zimbabwe team has sealed a last-ball victory to take a 1-0 lead
Afghanistan scored 144/6 in 20 overs, where as Zimbabwe scored 145/6 in 20 overs.
So, finally Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 4 wickets.
In a thrilling, back-and-forth contest that kicked off the T20I series between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan in Harare, the hosts were reliant on a crucial 13-ball 16* from Tashinga Musekiwa to secure a last-ball victory.
Afghanistan, after losing early wickets, made a solid recovery to post a total of 144/6.
Zimbabwe, despite a slow start, appeared to be in control of the chase but faced tense moments towards the end before Musekiwa’s cameo sealed the win.
Naveen-ul-Haq began the second innings with a maiden to Brian Bennett and followed it up by dismissing Tadiwanashe Marumani in his next over.
Bennett and Dion Myers managed three fours between them in the powerplay, with Bennett receiving a reprieve.
However, Zimbabwe’s progress was slow, managing only 33 runs in the first six overs.
Afghanistan maintained a tight grip on the game, minimizing boundaries, and Zimbabwe could only reach 54 in the first half of their innings.
The duo of Bennett and Myers started to accelerate in the second half, with Myers hitting a six off Rashid Khan.
However, their 75-run stand off 62 balls ended when Myers was dismissed by Nabi.
The 15th over proved to be eventful, as Naveen bowled a 13-ball over, which included an over-step and nine wides, conceding 19 runs and also picking up the wicket of Sikandar Raza.
With 38 needed from the last five overs, Zimbabwe reduced the equation to 28 off 24 when Ryan Burl hit a six off Nabi in the 16th over.
A double-wicket final over from Rashid Khan, in which he dismissed both Bennett and Burl and conceded only three runs, left Zimbabwe needing 25 off the last three overs.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman then bowled a tight 18th over, leaving the equation at 21 from 12 balls.
In the 19th over, Naveen dismissed Wessly Madhevere, but key contributions from Wellington Masakadza, including a boundary and a couple of singles, brought the target down to 11 off the final over.
Musekiwa began with a four, followed by two twos off Azmatullah Omarzai.
After a dot ball, he took another two to level the scores and struck the winning single off the final delivery to give Zimbabwe a 1-0 lead in the series.
Earlier, Afghanistan, opting to bat first, faced early setbacks, losing four wickets inside the powerplay.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for a duck, caught at cover off Richard Ngarava.
Hazratullah Zazai briefly revived Afghanistan’s fortunes, hitting a four and a six off Brian Bennett.
However, a brilliant catch from Ngarava gave Trevor Gwandu the wicket of Sediqullah Atal, and Ngarava soon bagged another wicket, sending Mohammad Ishaq back for a cheap score.
Zazai fell for 20 off 15 balls, leaving Afghanistan at 33/4 in the sixth over.
Janat steadied the innings and formed a partnership with Azmatullah Omarzai, but the stand ended when Omarzai miscued a lofted shot.
Afghanistan finally found some stability through Janat and Nabi.
Janat, who had been struggling at 20 off 29, accelerated with two fours off Masakadza in the 13th over.
Both Nabi and Janat struck a boundary off Ngarava to help Afghanistan pass 100 in the 16th over.
The pivotal moment came in the 17th over when Nabi attacked Gwandu, hitting a six and three fours in a 20-run over.
Janat reached a 46-ball 50, while Nabi fell six runs short of a half-century, ending a 79-run partnership off 49 balls.
Despite a strong finish, with 43 runs coming off the last four overs, Afghanistan’s total proved to be insufficient in the end.
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