Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs Zimbabwe National Cricket Team Match Scorecard

Hashmatullah Shahidi made history when he scored 246 runs at Queen Sports Club in Bulawayo to lead Afghanistan to victory against Zimbabwe, supported by Rahmat Shah and Afsar Zazai. In the detailed afghanistan national cricket team vs zimbabwe national cricket team match scorecard, Zimbabwe bowlers struggled with their deliveries, leading to the match ending in a draw.

Zimbabwe bowlers struggled with their deliveries, leading to the match ending in a draw.

Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe and Afghanistan have begun the inaugural Test match at Queen Sports Club in Bulawayo with both sides looking to build upon strong starts. Zimbabwe are looking for an emotional lift after suffering a series loss to Pakistan and an underwhelming T20I series against Bangladesh; Afghanistan have carried.

Their momentum over from their 2-0 ODI win with Hashmatullah Shahidi leading a formidable batting line-up featuring Rahmat Shah who excelled during ODI series with big runs while Rashid Khan and Fazalhaq Farooqi offer potent spin combination which could pose challenges to Zimbabwean.

Queen Sports Club’s pitch offers something for both batsmen and bowlers, with early swing likely and turning becoming increasingly likely over time, making it harder for batters to stay patient during an innings.

Zimbabwe’s batsmen have shown remarkable resilience despite their struggles, with opener Sean Williams and captain Craig Ervine particularly strong contributors. Debutant Ben Curran made 41 before being run out, while Joylord Gumbie contributed 24 runs in an innings that Zimbabwe lost. Unfortunately, their fielding could do with improvement; several missed chances in particular the second innings cost them dearly.

Afghanistan’s batsmen have also looked strong. Shahidi’s two double tons propelled Afghanistan into an early lead, while wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai and Shahzad Asif both reached centuries as well. Zahir Khan made numerous close LBW calls which were dismissed, eventually getting past Gumbie with an offbreak googly from Zahir Khan’s bowler’s googly and knocking him over for six.

The opening Test between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan ended in a draw, giving both teams plenty of room for improvement ahead of the second Test in Harare. Zimbabwe have lost six wickets to trail by 438 runs with four overs remaining.

They will require to score an unlikely 351 runs within 28 overs to make up this deficit; nonetheless Afghanistan have secured their maiden Test victory against a full member nation with this result.

First Test

Afghanistan made history during their inaugural Test match when they set a world record for highest team total in a Test, amassing 586 runs led by Rahmat Shah with an outstanding century performance. Afghanistan will look to build on their performance when taking on Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club Bulawayo for their second Test encounter.

Since their founding in the 20th century, Australia have experienced remarkable progress. Ranked 9th by the International Cricket Council rankings and seen as a formidable threat on the cricket pitch. Their recent rise can largely be attributed to their phenomenal performance in Twenty20 Internationals tournaments; having defeated some of the best teams worldwide along the way.

Most recently they have won the ICC T20I World Cup title and look set to join as full members of ICC soon enough.

They have won 31 One Day Internationals against Zimbabwean Chevrons to demonstrate their dominance in this format of cricket. As a result, they qualified for the ICC Champions Trophy competition and now hope to make an impression here as well.

Zimbabwe are an impressive side, featuring some highly talented batsmen at the top. But their lower order has struggled, creating an opportunity for Afghanistan to exploit this weakness and take quick control of Zimbabwe’s batting lineup.

Day 3 saw batsmen take control and look to make serious runs in their second innings. Shah must lead by example and provide his side with an early advantage when they bat again in their second innings.

Zimbabwe were in trouble at 44/4 and desperately required a big partnership or two in order to regain momentum in the match. A 48-run stand between Azmatullah and Naib gave them hope but soon afterwards wickets started falling regularly.

Second Test

Zimbabwe and Afghanistan played to an exciting draw in their inaugural Test match last month in Harare, with both sides recording record scores. Thursday marks the beginning of Bulawayo Test 2, promising another thrilling contest between these teams.

Afghan cricket has quickly been recognized as “The Rising Star” of international cricket, and their progress is nothing short of incredible. Over just a few years, Afghanistan have gone from associate member of the International Cricket Council to full member, boasting top-10 rankings for both ODIs and T20Is respectively.

They won Division 3 of ICC World Cricket League competition before becoming regular competitors at ICC World Twenty20 as well as competing in two-year cycles leading up to an all-Afghan final at 2024/2025’s Test Championship final!

Afghanistan boasts an exceptional batting line-up led by Rahmat Shah and boasts many skilled fast bowlers such as Dawlat Zadran and Gulbadin Naib who rank among the world’s premier fast bowlers.

Zimbabwe’s batsmen struggled against Afghanistan’s disciplined attack and missed several chances, leaving their visitors in difficulty on Day 4. To avoid defeat on this critical fourth day of cricket they need an extraordinary performance to emerge triumphant.

On a soggy pitch, Afghanistan batsmen dominated the only session that was played. Although they lost Shah early on, Shahidi and Zazai put up another impressive innings to bring their side closer towards safety.

Afghanistan will rely heavily on their lower order to prevent an embarrassment and should receive a boost from Ismat Alam’s return and debutant Tanaka Chivanga’s debut appearance. They will also need to find some form after losing both openers in just two overs of play.

Third Test

Zimbabwe and Afghanistan’s first Test ended in a draw, with both teams setting record scores. Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi scored 246, breaking both national records and associate nation totals respectively, while Rahmat Shah made 234. Zimbabwe wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai and spinner Brian Bennett shined both with bat and ball respectively.

Afghanistan and Zimbabwe have met 31 times in One Day Internationals (ODI), with Afghanistan winning 20 of those contests and four being drawn. Additionally, Afghanistan Atalans have shown dominance against Zimbabwe Chevrons T20I cricket games by winning 16 out of 18 meetings between them.

Afghans took an impressive 2-0 advantage in the series with victory in match two. Now looking for a clean sweep against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on Sunday, Afghanistan batsmen performed better in second innings thanks to some subpar fielding from Zimbabwe; adding 226 runs overnight total.

This series has been one of the most entertaining in recent memory, with both sides producing some breathtaking cricket. Afghanistan are now 10th in ICC ODI rankings and this performance against Zimbabwe should increase their chances of qualification for next year’s World Cup.

Though Taliban restrictions restrict women’s sports and some men’s activities, they haven’t taken steps against cricket which show they remain committed to expanding its popularity within their nation.

On Friday after an inconclusive start to play at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Afghanistan took an early lead through Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah’s heroics.

Unfortunately for Zimbabwe though, their top order struggled against an uneven pitch that wasn’t conducive for batting. While Zimbabwe had opportunities in the final session but several dropped catches allowed Afghanistan to build up an enormous lead which they expect will only expand on Day 4.