Zimbabwe and Afghanistan’s one-day international match was an exhilarating contest, featuring key partnerships and exciting overs. Afghanistan ultimately triumphed thanks to their superior spin bowling and power hitting; winning by six wickets.
Both teams will aim to gain an edge in the Test series starting on Boxing Day in Bulawayo. Dry pitches tend to favour fast bowlers while youngster Allah Ghazanfar could mark an important step by making his Test debut – something which would mark an achievement worthy of celebration!
In this article, we will discuss the main points or high lights of Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs Zimbabwe National Cricket Team Match Scorecard.
Top Players – Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe Series (2024–2025)
ODI Series
| Category | Afghanistan | Zimbabwe |
|---|---|---|
| Top Batter | Sediqullah Atal – 156 runs in 2 matches (104, 52) | Sean Williams – 76 runs in 3 matches |
| Top Bowler | AM Ghazanfar – 9 wickets in 3 matches (5/33 in 3rd ODI) | Trevor Gwandu – 5 wickets in 3 matches |
| Top All-Rounder | Azmatullah Omarzai – 75 runs & 6 wickets in 3 matches | Sikandar Raza – 32 runs & 0 wickets in 3 matches |
| Player of the Series | Sediqullah Atal | – |
| Emerging Talent | AM Ghazanfar – 5/33 in 3rd ODI | Brian Bennett – 107 runs in 3 matches |
Test Series
| Category | Afghanistan | Zimbabwe |
|---|---|---|
| Top Batter | Hashmatullah Shahidi – 246 runs in 1st Test | Craig Ervine – 254 runs in 4 innings |
| Top Bowler | Rashid Khan – 11 wickets in 2 matches | Blessing Muzarabani – 9 wickets in 3 innings |
| Top All-Rounder | Mohammad Nabi – 72 runs & 0 wickets in 3 innings | Sikandar Raza – 61 runs & 1 wicket in 2 innings |
| Emerging Talent | Afsar Zazai – 113 runs in 1st Test | Brian Bennett – 5/95 in 1st Test |
Afghanistan’s recent tour of Zimbabwe
Afghanistan national cricket team has emerged as an emerging force on the international cricket stage. Winning multiple tournaments quickly has garnered increased investor attention, earning Afghanistan one of the best emerging cricket teams globally. Their growth has provided Afghanistan’s economy with an injection of capital; cricket has quickly become its leading entertainment industry and increased tourism and employment prospects significantly.
Afghanistan’s recent tour to Zimbabwe was a tremendous success, and they will hope to repeat that success against New Zealand in their next series. Starting December 11, they’ll meet for three T20I matches and two Test matches held at Bulawayo Cricket Ground. Afghanistan Cricket Board have released their squads for each white-ball leg – three T20Is led by Sikandar Raza and Craig Ervine respectively in each ODI leg; which have been carefully selected by Afghanistan’s national selection committee prior to departure for Bulawayo.
Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan took charge in the second Test against Zimbabwe and earned 11 wickets to seal victory for Afghanistan. His unerring accuracy and turn were too much for Zimbabwe to bear; Rahmat Shah and Ismat Alam both also made invaluable contributions with bat.
Zimbabwe were dismissed for 205-8 on the final day, needing at least 73 runs for victory; but were unable to add even one run, with Rashid Khan taking his seventh wicket to secure victory for Afghanistan at Queens Sports Club Bulawayo by 72 runs.
Afghanistan posted an initial score of 157 runs with Rashid Khan top-scoring with 25 runs. Zimbabwe responded with 243 thanks to contributions from Sikandar Raza and Craig Ervine, but Afghanistan bowlers proved too powerful: Rashid Khan and Yamin Ahmadzai each took four wickets while Blessing Muzarabani, Darwish Rasooli and Nangyal Kharoti each grabbed three scalps for Zimbabwe.
The first test match will begin on December 26
Zimbabwe and Afghanistan faced off in their inaugural test match, an intense contest that showed both teams fighting hard to show their dominance. Both sides performed exceptionally, and this match demonstrated the increasing competitive spirit within international cricket. With its high-intensity setting and stadium atmosphere adding extra excitement, it made this more than just another cricket match.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Zimbabwe amassed 586 runs – their highest total ever in a Test match and thanks to Sean Williams and Craig Ervine’s outstanding centuries.
Zimbabwe never looked in any danger of losing this match and were poised to achieve a draw; however Afghanistan’s powerful spin attack and superior hitting proved decisive in the end, giving them a well-deserved win.
On Day One of this match, both teams put on an excellent batting and bowling display at Queens Sports Club, making for an exciting contest. Pacers took full advantage of Queens Sports Club’s pitch to score early runs while spinners showed great control by restricting scoring rates throughout much of the day.
After an initially cautious start, Afghanistan eventually gained momentum as their innings progressed. Thanks to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan’s aggressive batting performances, Afghanistan reached a competitive total and Zimbabwe found themselves struggling against Afghanistan’s spinners who successfully dismantled their lower order batting order.
The second day of the match was relatively uneventful as both teams shared wickets before reaching an unassailable position. At the end of this day’s play, each side took equal numbers of wickets for their efforts – meaning both will battle it out to earn victory on day three, which will determine which side wins the two-match series.
Afghanistan’s ODI series win
Afghanistan cricket team’s victory against Zimbabwe in an ODI series earned much praise from many people around the world. This victory was remarkable for two reasons; firstly it marked Afghanistan’s first-ever series victory against one of ODI’s full member nations; secondly it marked a milestone for Afghan women’s cricket which includes refugees from Syria struggling to find stable employment; they don’t receive official funding so any money earned through playing comes directly from families or friends, playing club cricket across multiple cities while attending school while learning English lessons – with dreams of joining international leagues such as Indian Premier Leagues among many more!
Success of this team has inspired other refugee athletes to pursue their goals even when faced with hardship, as evidenced by AM Ghazanfar’s five wicket haul in helping Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe in the final One-Day International. He was supported by Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s seventh ODI century; their record margin of victory surpassing Afghanistan’s 154-run win at this same venue last year.
Afghanistan’s Cricket Board (ACB) strongly criticised CA’s withdrawal from a series as being “pathetic”, and plans to lodge a formal complaint to the International Cricket Council (ICC). ACB claimed CA’s decision to politicize cricket undermined its integrity and caused harm for both teams involved, in turn impacting negatively upon Afghan cricket’s growth as well as on Afghan passion for its game overall.
Afghanistan recently made their inaugural tour against a full member test side since joining the International Cricket Council as an affiliate member in 2001. They swept 2-0 against Zimbabwe in three one-day internationals (ODIs), with only one match ending tied. It marked a significant achievement for their squad who hope to qualify for 2023 World Cup tournament in England & Wales & also recently beat Scotland twice in T20I series played in UAE.
Zimbabwe’s ODI series win
Given Zimbabwe’s history of losing ODI series, few expected them to beat Australia in their opening match – especially considering they were on an 11-match losing streak against world champions Australia. Yet they managed to surprise everyone and win convincingly 3-0; it marked the first time Zimbabwe have defeated Australia since over 10 years! Ryan Burl’s 5-for-10 was Zimbabwe’s best bowling performance against Australia this format.
After that, things quickly devolved: the country’s economic woes worsened while cricket board officials engaged in bullying tactics against Taibu for standing up for players’ rights; as a result, his family were forced to hide. Furthermore, their performances continued to decline and soon enough they were considered one of the weakest full member nations within international cricket.
However, the Zimbabwe Cricket Association has done an outstanding job of promoting and expanding cricket. They have implemented programs to encourage participation by both children and adults as well as investing in infrastructure to enhance playing facilities of their teams; yet still face many obstacles to expansion.
One of the primary issues facing Zimbabwe is a shortage of talented cricketers. According to estimates, there are only about 2,000 active cricket players out of a population of 10 million people! In an attempt to increase this figure, Zimbabwe Cricket Authority has implemented new programs while investing in existing ones to increase active player numbers.
But the cricket community in Zimbabwe remains dominated by an exclusive few who use cricket for personal gain, meaning talented players will continue leaving to seek greater opportunities abroad.
Even if Zimbabwe’s situation improves, it will still take time to turn their fortunes around. It is evident that their cricket team still needs work if they hope to compete with top nations such as England and India in Test matches; until that point however, winning them may prove challenging; though hope lies within as evidenced in recent ODI series against Australia and Ireland by Zimbabweans.
