Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by 50 runs in the second T20I at the Harare Sports Club on December 13, Friday.
Zimbabwe won the first T20I by 4 wickets but the visitors made a stunning comeback to level the three-match series at 1-1. The series decider will be played on December 14, Saturday.
Afghanistan opted to bat first in the second T20I but the decision backfired quickly as Gwandu removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz on 11 runs in the fourth over of the powerplay while Muzarbani dismissed Sediqullah Atal on 19 runs in the next over.
Darwish Rasooli and Azmatullah Omarzai stitched a 53-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Rasooli 58 runs off 42 balls. He smacked six boundaries and one maximum during his sensational knock. Azmatullah also scored 28 runs off 23 balls. Gulbadin Naib also amassed an unbeaten 26 runs off 21 balls as Afghanistan scored 153 in 20 overs.
Naveen-ul-Haq, Rashid Khan shine with the ball
Chasing the target of 154 runs, Zimbabwe got off to a poor start as Naveen-ul-Haq and Azmatullah removed Marumani and Myers cheaply in the powerplay. Brian Bennet scored 27 runs off 26 balls but the middle order failed to make any contribution with the bat in the run chase.
Naveen Ul Haq (3/19), Rashid Khan (3/20), and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2/30) put on a terrific bowling effort to help Afghan players beat Zimbabwe by 50 runs and draw level the three-match T20I series 1-1
Skipper Sikandar Raza scored 35 runs off 30 balls but Afghani bowlers picked wickets at regular intervals to put pressure on the hosts. Naveen-ul-Haq completed a significant milestone by taking his 250th T20 wicket in the shortest format. Zimbabwe bowled out for 103 runs in the 17.4 overs. Rashid and Naveen took three wickets each while Mujeeb Ur Rahman also picked up two wickets. Omarzai and Fareed Ahmed also took one wicket each.
