Afghanistan produced an impressive all-round performance to beat Zimbabwe by nine runs in the third and final T20I to complete a clinical 3-0 sweep of the series at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday (November 2). Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran set the tone with a record 159-run stand before the Afghan bowlers held their nerve in the closing stages to thwart Zimbabwe’s late surge.
Opting to bat first, Afghanistan stormed to 210 for 3, powered by Gurbaz’s explosive 92 off 48 balls and Zadran’s 60 off 49. The pair dismantled Zimbabwe’s new-ball attack right from the start, which brought 19 runs from Wellington Masakadza, with Gurbara and 6 bowled for four.
Zadran joined the onslaught soon after and found his rhythm with a flurry of boundaries against Richard Ngarava and Tinotenda Maposa. At the end of PowerPlay, Afghanistan were cruising at 73 for no loss. Gurbaz brought up his 30-ball fifty with typical flair, while Zadran followed soon after to register his third half-century of the series.
Zimbabwe managed to put the brakes on briefly in the middle overs, but the pressure soon mounted as Burl’s 14th over vanished for 30 runs – including three fours and three sixes from the rampaging Gurbaz. Their partnership eventually ended when Sikandar Raza took a brilliant catch to dismiss Gurbaz for 92, while Zadran soon followed for 60.
A fiery display from Sediqullah Atal (35* off 15) ensured that Afghanistan crossed the 200-run mark.
In response, Zimbabwe’s chase got off to a shaky start. Dion Myers was dismissed early while veteran Brendan Taylor fell cheaply to Fazalhaq Farooqi. However, Sikandar Raza led the counter-attack with a brisk 50 off 28 balls, supported by Brian Bennett’s enterprising 47 balls. The duo kept Zimbabwe in the hunt, with boundaries flowing freely through the middle overs.
But just when Zimbabwe seemed to be closing in, the Afghan bowlers struck. Raza pulled one onto his stumps and looked to sweep it while Bennett went to Abdullah Ahmadzai soon after. Ryan Burl’s fiery knock (38 off 20) provided a glimmer of hope, but his dismissal, dismissed by Mujeeb Ur Rahman, derailed the chase.
A late cameo from Tashinga Musekiwa (28 off 17) added some excitement but wickets at regular intervals kept Zimbabwe behind the curve. Fareed Ahmad (3 for 39) and Fazalhaq Farooqi (2 for 33) were instrumental in sealing the win as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 201 in 19.5 overs.
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
November 2, 2025
