Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan 1st T20I Highlights 12-11-2024

Watch cricket video highlights of Afghanistan tour of Zimbabwe 2024. First twenty/20 between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. Venue of the match will be Harare.


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Zimbabwe won the first Twenty20 International against Afghanistan in an exciting last over thanks to a 13-ball over from Naveen-ul-Haq and a spectacular final over in which Tashinga Musekiwa reached the boundary and ran between the wickets. Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan’s economical spells, together with Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s four-run 18th over, reduced the equation from 60 off 42 balls to 21 off 12 with Zimbabwe chasing 145.

However, Azmatullah Omarzai’s improvements in length and tempo were insufficient to protect 10 in the last over, and Naveen’s final over went for ten. On the opening ball of the 20th, Musekiwa nearly cleared the fence after slogging a slower slot ball over cow corner. Then, with the score tied and the field open for the final ball, he sprinted back for three twos and drove clean off mid-off to celebrate with his partner in front of a boisterous Harare crowd.

In the final seven overs, the intensity fluctuated, starting with a faster ball from Mohammad Nabi that resulted in a misplaced slog from the steady Dion Myers. It raised the asking rate to more over nine runs per over and ended a 75-run partnership between Myers and Brian Bennett. When Naveen came back for an over, things didn’t go quite as planned. His go-to move was the wide yorker, and aside from a high full toss that Sikandar Raza whipped over short third for four, five of the first eight balls ended up as wides.

Raza swung over to smack the ball down the ground after he went full and wide once more. The Zimbabwe captain’s innings lasted just five legal balls until he was eventually removed by a slower ball. Rashid hit the well-set Bennett for 49 with a slider after struggling in his opening three overs. Ryan Burl then made a mistake by pulling to a deep backward square leg. However, Afghanistan was unable to prevent Zimbabwe from reaching home despite neither his nor Mujeeb’s stump-to-stump bowling.

Naveen, who opened with a maiden before squeezing Tadiwanashe Marumani for space on the draw, put Zimbabwe under strain as the chase got underway. However, in the fifth over, Naveen dropped Bennett on eight off Azmatullah Omarzai. In the last over of the powerplay, Rashid made his debut, although he was unable to control the score. Myers took two fours after he made a short and wide (off and leg-side) error. Despite their consolidation, the asking rate increased to nine after a few calm overs.

Fareed Ahmad gave them a boundary in the first two overs, and in the twelfth, Myers hit another Rashid long-hop over long-on. Before Nabi’s intervention brought up a wild conclusion, Bennett carried on the attack by hitting Omarzai for two fours. Rashid had no qualms about batting first earlier. Richard Ngarava’s extra bounce off the match’s third ball undid Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s attempt to seize the lead early. In the third over, Wessly Madhevere gave Sediqullah Atal a chance, but he failed to heave Trevor Gwandu over mid-on in the following over.

In contrast, Hazratullah Zazai had a strong start, sending Bennett crashing to the ground in the third over and slicing Ngarava past point in the opening over before holing out off Blessing Muzarabani. After the powerplay, Omarzai and Karim Janat reduced the danger, but Raza hit them both with boundaries to increase the run rate back near run-a-ball. However, Omarzai was caught at long-on after attempting to put Wellington Masakadza over the top. In the eleventh over, with Afghanistan struggling at 58 for 5, Nabi joined Janat.

They had a rough beginning together, but Zimbabwe’s careless fielding helped. Before Muzarabani lost sight of the ball and gifted Janat the first of two boundaries in the next over, Burl’s misfield at long-off transformed two into three in the twelfth over. In the 16th over, Nabi took aim at the returning Ngarava after hitting the gaps for some risk-free twos. With four overs remaining, Afghanistan reached 100 thanks to two boundaries.

Gwandu was dismissed by Nabi for three fours and a six to start the last overs, the final one being the result of another fielding error. Nabi and Janat put up 79 off 49 before Ngarava got rid of Nabi in the 19th over, which was seven runs long. Rashid was unable to throw Gwandu away for a boundary in the last over, and Janat, who was the anchor, was still 54 not out off 49 balls at the finish.