Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I Highlights 12-13-2024

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

1st Innings

2nd Innings

Report

Afghanistan easily won the second Twenty20 International against Zimbabwe and drew even with one game remaining as Darwish Rasooli’s first international half-century took them to 153 for 6 before their bowlers came through. Zimbabwe defeated Afghanistan in a thrilling last-ball match on Wednesday to record their first T20I triumph, but the visitors made sure there was no drama this time by defeating the home team by 50 runs with 14 balls remaining. Gulbadin Naib and Azmatullah Omarzai backed Rasooli in his efforts to promote Afghanistan.

After that, Rashid Khan and Naveen-ul-Haq each took three wickets, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman delivered a vital double punch in the middle overs. For the second consecutive game, Afghanistan’s top order struggled; they finished the powerplay at 41 for 3, a little improvement over their 34 for 4 in the first Twenty20 International, after losing three wickets in nine balls. Sediqullah Atal blasted Blessing Muzarabani for two fours through the off side in the second over, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz opened the scoring with a boundary punch through square in the first over.

With his first delivery, however, Trevor Gwandu made an immediate impression, and Gurbaz spooned a catch to mid-off. Zubaid Akbari was run out two balls later while attempting to pinch a single to backward point that never existed. Atal pulled Muzarabani in front of square for his third boundary off the seamer in an attempt to maintain Afghanistan’s momentum, but Muzarabani had the final laugh by having Atal caught at cover point the following ball.

Another mix-up in the powerplay may have cost Afghanistan a fourth wicket, but Azmatullah Omarzai made it out alive. In the first over without fielding constraints, Rasooli lofted Wellington Masakadza over extra cover after starting with a pickup shot behind square off Gwandu. After taking a while to calm down, Omarzai hit the first six of the game in the tenth over with a half-tracker off Sikandar Raza over midwicket. In the subsequent over, he hammered another six down the ground, but he holed out while attempting to hit Ryan Burl in the same spots.

Running over to his left from long-on, Brian Bennett made a fantastic grab, collecting it high and flinging it up before stepping beyond the boundary rope and returning to finish the catch. Wessly Madhevere clutched onto a screamer at full stretch after Burl dropped one short and Nabi misplayed a pull to the left of deep midwicket in his subsequent over. Half of Afghanistan was now back in the hut. Burl nearly executed another amazing parried-grab on the boundary, but replays revealed he had struck the ground beyond the boundary rope at the incorrect time.

Rasooli then went downtown again after slapping Gwandu over mid-off in the following over. Following Nabi’s dismissal, Afghanistan amassed 22 runs from the two overs as Naib hit Raza for a four. There was yet the best to come. Rasooli reached his first T20I fifty as he hit Ngarava for three consecutive fours in the penultimate over. Afghanistan was within striking distance of 150 runs at 17 for the over. To preserve Zimbabwe’s goal at 154, Gwandu grabbed him in the last over and gave up just six runs.

After both openers struck Mujeeb for fours apiece in the second over of their chase, Bennett smashed Naveen over deep midwicket for six, and Zimbabwe began to gain momentum. However, Tadiwanashe Marumani eventually slashed it to deep backward point when Naveen drew his length back when he saw him approaching down the track. Another short ball from Omarzai caused Dion Myers to be caught at deep backward square. Following the powerplay, Mujeeb returned to the attack and had Madhevere hit a drive directly to short cover.

He got one to spin past his outside edge and simply clip the off bail in his subsequent shot, deceiving Bennett. After he caught Burl attempting to sweep in front of him, Rashid joined in the fun, and Zimbabwe was on the ropes at 57 for 5. In his last over, Mujeeb was taken on by Tashinga Musekiwa, who struck the winning runs off the last ball of the inaugural Twenty20 International. Musekiwa drove Mujeeb through extra cover and launched him over long-on off successive deliveries.

Musekiwa’s retaliation, however, was short-lived as Naveen quickly rushed him in the following over, causing him to miscap a straightforward catch to cover. The game was virtually gone when Rashid hit twice in an over. Fareed Malik completed the task by dismissing Muzarabani in the following over after Naveen had Raza caught at deep midwicket in the seventeenth.