Vusumuzi DubeMehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE slumped to yet another defeat to Afghanistan, this time by six wickets in the first Twenty20 International cricket encounter played at Harare Sports Club yesterday.
Fresh from being pathetically whitewashed 3-0 by the Asians in the One Day International series, Zimbabwe went back to their losing ways as has become the norm for the Chevrons in international cricket.
Sikandar Raza top scored for Zimbabwe with 45 runs off 46 balls, Wessley Madhevere was next with 32 at the top of the batting order while Regis Chakabva contributed 29, the home team ending on 159/8 in 20 overs.
Afghanistan crossed the finish line with four balls to spare, 160/4 they were in 19.2 overs.
Hazratullah Zazai was the top scorer for the Afghans with 45 off 26 deliveries and Man of the Match Najibullah Zadran made 44 not out from 25 balls to lead the visitors to victory in the last over.
The two teams square off again in the second T20I at the same venue while the third and final match of the series is on Tuesday.
Before they lost to Afghanistan in the ODIs, Zimbabwe had been humbled by Namibia who won the five-match T20I series 3-2 at Queens Sports Club to record their first ever T20I success over an International Cricket Council Full Member.
Coach Lalchand Rajput is under immense spotlight and the decision to prolong his stay when his contract expired in September last year is no longer making sense.
Zimbabwe are next month hosting the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier B in Bulawayo but with the way they are playing, fans might suffer the same heartbreak they endured when the team failed to put home advantage to good use and flopped in their attempt to qualify for the 2019 50-over Cricket World Cup in England.
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