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Mehluli Sibanda at Queens Sports Club
ZIMBABWE were humiliated yesterday after being whitewashed by minnows Afghanistan in the two-match Twenty20 International cricket series. Going into yesterday’s match needing a win to level the series after losing the first game on Monday, Zimbabwe fell by five wickets with one ball remaining in the second T20I at Queens Sports Club to lose the series 2-0 on home soil.
The T20I whitewash comes hard on the heels of another embarrassing 3-2 loss in the one-day international series, the first time Afghanistan have beaten a full International Cricket Council member.
Half centuries from Usman Ghani (65) and man-of-the-match Gulbadin Naib (54 not out) saw Afghanistan make 191 for the loss of five wickets in 19.5 overs to beat Zimbabwe.
A brisk 54 runs off 26 deliveries from Sean Williams had propelled Zimbabwe, who won the toss and opted to bat, to 190 runs for seven wickets in 20 overs.
Yesterday’s series clinching victory for the tourists was another slap in the face for local cricket after the Chevrons lost the ODI series.
Zimbabwe got their innings off to a disastrous start after opening batsman Chamunorwa Chibhabha was bowled by Dawlat Zadran for a duck with the second delivery of the match in what was a maiden over for the bowler.
Just when Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams seemed to stabilise things, Raza departed for a 13-ball 21 runs, lofting a delivery from Naib to be caught and bowled.
Zimbabwe looked like they would burst out of the doldrums when Williams punished the Afghans’ attack with his second T20I half century coming off 21 balls. His 50 comprised eight fours and two sixes.
Rashid Khan got the big wicket of Williams, caught in the deep by Shafiqullah Shafaq for 54 runs off 26 balls.
Richmond Mutumbami and Elton Chigumbura put on 60 runs for the third wicket prior to Mutumbami being given out, trapped leg before wicket for 43 runs.
Chigumbura made 33 runs to take Zimbabwe to a challenging total.
Requiring 9.55 runs per over, Afghanistan were kept in the hunt by opener Ghani, who smashed 65 runs off 45 balls, made up of three fours and three sixes.
Naib reached his 50 in 28 balls, smashing seven fours, and stayed at the crease up to the end of the innings.
It got exciting when Karem Sadeq was run out by Taurai Muzarabani off the bowling of Christopher Mpofu in the penultimate over leaving the Afghans needing nine runs in the last over.
That left Naib and Shafaq at the crease. The second delivery was a dot ball and Shafaq sent the third delivery to the boundary leaving the visitors needing three runs from the last three balls.
The fourth ball went for a single to bring it down to two from the last two balls which was achieved with one delivery to go.
Online Reporter