adminRicky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
IMPRESSIVE Afghanistan levelled the five one-day international series 1-1 against Zimbabwe with a convincing 58-run win yesterday, powered by Mohammad Nabi’s 116 off 121 deliveries and Noor Ali Zadran’s 60 as the tourists posted 271 for five having elected to bat. Aftab Alam, Dawlat Zadran and Samiullah Shenwari went on to claim two wickets apiece as the hosts were dismissed for 213. The Chevrons provided the only black patch on a day that the women’s national soccer team, the Mighty Warriors, made history by becoming the first local football side to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics. The men’s side, the Warriors, also put one foot in next year’s African Nations Championship to be held in Rwanda after seeing off Lesotho 3-1 in the first leg of the final qualifier played at Barbourfields Stadium.
Afghanistan adopted a controlled approach that enabled them to post a defendable total at Queens Sports Club compared to their opening game’s innings that they were whittled out for 122 in 34.1 overs to lose by a huge margin.
Afghanistan promoted Nabi up the order from number six to bat at number three and the visitors prospered with his 116-run innings to leave Zimbabwe ruing their lacklustre display in the field and with the ball.Nabi smashed six sixes and three fours on his way to a maiden ODI century.
He came to the crease in the fourth over with the Afghans seemingly struggling at 25 for one following the dismissal of Mohammad Shahzad, who was caught by Richmond Mutumbami off the bowling of Tinashe Panyangarara. Nabi helped steady the tourists’ innings by putting up a 123-run second wicket partnership with opener Noor Ali Zadran. The partnership was broken in the 32nd over when Zadran sliced Tino Mutombodzi to be caught by Tendai Chisoro.
Chisoro later took the prized wicket of Nabi with the last ball of the 43rd over to leave the score at 220/4, but most of the damage had already been done.Nabi was looking for a six through the wide long-on boundary, but he skied his shot giving Chamu Chibhabha enough time to get underneath the ball for a good catch.
Middle order batsmen Asghar Stanikzai and Samiullah Shenwari weighed in with 39 runs and 20 runs respectively as the Afghans totalled 271/6. Needing 272 runs to make the series 2-0, Zimbabwe’s chase stumbled in the third over when opener Chibhabha fell for eight with only 15 runs on the board for the hosts.
The Chevrons’ top order struggled with the bat as the Afghan spinners put them to the sword and it explains why tail-ender Luke Jongwe emerged as the highest scorer with 46 runs from 33 balls.His knocks briefly raised Zimbabwe’s hopes, only to be bowled out by Dawlat Zadran with the last ball of the 45th over leaving the Chevrons on 211 and needing 61 runs from 24 balls to win the match.
However, Wellington Masakadza and John Nyumbu couldn’t wag as they were dismissed for a single run each as Zimbabwe crumbled to 213 all out in front of a cheerful home crowd.
Chevrons’ captain Elton Chigumbura bemoaned the early loss of wickets.“We got ourselves under pressure after losing wickets upfront and in the middle. It was always going to be difficult for number eight to win us a game. Our spinners had done a great job and I believe 271 is a good score to chase at Queens. We’ve to bounce back and improve our batting,” said Chigumbura.
Online Reporter