Afghanistan wins the series against Zimbabwe with an 8-wicket victory in third ODI
Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe in the third and final one-day international on Saturday at the Harare Sports Club in Harare. The visitors swept the series 2-0. Zimbabwe scored just 127 runs in 30.1 overs. Allah Ghazanfar claimed a fifer, while Rashid Khan grabbed three scalps.
Sean Williams was the only hero with a 60-run effort. Afghanistan won by eight wickets (131/2).
Afghanistan won the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe 2-0 with back-to-back emphatic victory after the first game was rained out. The visitors performed another imposing performance in the last ODI, demonstrating their supremacy across all sectors. Afghanistan won their sixth consecutive white-ball series this year. Afghanistan won the toss and decided to bowl first, which paid off immediately. The bowlers struck early, reducing Zimbabwe to 38/3 during the power play. The hosts shown little purpose, allowing Afghanistan to dictate terms. Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza, Zimbabwe’s veteran players, attempted to steady the innings. However, Rashid Khan’s arrival proved pivotal, as he removed Raza and severely weakened the hosts’ batting order.
Allah Ghazanfar was the standout performance, as his spin magic had the Zimbabwe batsmen scrambling for solutions. He grabbed five wickets in ten overs, wreaking havoc on Zimbabwe’s lower and middle order. Williams was the lone batsman who helped the team recover, scoring a gutsy 50-run knock, but following his removal, Zimbabwe’s batting lineup disintegrated. Rashid Khan got three wickets to help the squad defeat Zimbabwe for just 127 runs.
The Afghan batsmen remained calm while pursuing a manageable aim. Zimbabwe’s Richard Ngarawa led their bowling assault, taking advantage of the swinging conditions. Abdul Mallik was spotted labouring during batting, but he managed to cling onto the crease from one end. At the same time, Sediqullah Atal maintained his excellent form and was seen batting comfortably. He was able to rotate the strike wonderfully and hammered loose balls, bringing up his half-century, but was eventually removed by Benett, who made a fantastic catch.
Afghanistan’s batsmen shown maturity and composure in pursuit of a modest aim. Zimbabwe’s seamers, headed by Richard Ngarava, got off to a good start, taking advantage of the swinging conditions. Abdul Malik battled in the crease but was able to hold one end for a time. On the other side, Sediqullah Atal maintained his remarkable run of form, playing with confidence and poise. The southpaw varied his stroke well and punished errant deliveries, scoring a magnificent fifty before falling to Bennett’s sensational grab. By the time Malik was fired, Afghanistan had seized control. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah ensured that there were no additional snags, forming a solid alliance to easily pursue down the objective. Afghanistan won by eight wickets, bringing the series to a close.
Zimbabwe had another dismal effort with the bat. Only four players reached double digits. The hosts must improve their batting issues as they prepare for the forthcoming Boxing Day Test in Bulawayo, the first such game in Zimbabwe since 1996. Afghanistan’s regular performances bode well for their preparations ahead of the Champions Trophy, as they continue to discover promising prospects like Atal and Ghazanfar.
Hashmatullah Shahidi: “Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem. I am very happy with the way the team performed in all three departments. And Uh, I can say again that I’m feeling really, really happy and moving forward for the next Uh, test series. I think if you look at every point you were doing very good and I mentioned in the last Match also that everyone takes responsibility. Everyone knows their role. So that’s the reason. I think some youngsters who are coming to the team like Ghazanfar from the last two to three series. He is doing very well for the team and Hopefully, he carry on the same momentum and bowl well for us in the future also. Look at Sediq and Malik. These two have batted in this ODI series was also fantastic. And I’m very happy with that. Yeah. Uh, I think they played their role really nicely, and The good thing is that we have senior guys in the team like Nabi Rashid Rahmat Um, with them the youngsters are also doing good, so it’s the combination of both senior and youngster so happy with the team and hopefully we carry on and We take that momentum to Champions trophy also. It’s a good chance for us to do something special in this Champions Trophy. Yeah, we will travel tomorrow to Bulawayo. So firstly we will try to enjoy, then we will focus on the big matches which are these two test games that are on the way. So I think the other guys who are playing for the test, are right now, preparing their self. We will do and we will enjoy Bulawayo for one day and then we will restart again. We will fully focus on the test because it’s important for us.”
Craig Ervine: “Obviously, we’ve got to look forward to the test, but I think, you know, throughout this series, we did find it tough. A lot of the youngsters have been exposed to, I think some Quality bowling from the Afghanistan side, and a lot of credit to them. I thought, you know, they were, they were brilliant throughout with the bat, with the ball with the spin through the middle. Um, so yeah. Oh, look. I think It’s it’s always it’s always tricky because you’re constantly trying to evolve. You’re constantly trying to get better and improve. Um and you go over certain plans and sometimes they don’t work, I think that’s part of sport. But I thought today, at least we showed a little bit more intent, a little bit more positivity. And well done to Sean Williams, obviously his innings today were outstanding. Yeah, obviously, we head down tomorrow and we’ve got a couple days before that test starts so it’s a very quick turnaround for us. And a slightly different conditions down in Bulawayo. So get down there nice and early. Try and train as much as we can to, to work out our plans, and stuff in those conditions. And hopefully, we can put in a few better performances over the test matches.”
Player of the Series Sediqullah Atal: “Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem. First of all thanks to my dear Allah. All the teammates throughout this tournament supported me in every situation. So it was an excellent series for me and all my teammates, especially the young players. So I always try to be consistent as much as possible. So, Alhamdulillah, I did this. It was a very good pitch for batting compared to the other two games. The ball came nice to the bat. So that’s why we played some good shots as well.”