Afghanistan Thrash Zimbabwe to Complete T20I Series Whitewash
SHARJAH Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the third and final T20 International on Sunday, completing a commanding 3-0 series whitewash in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. After opting to bowl, Afghanistan's bowlers dismantled Zimbabwe's batting line-up, dismissing the visitors for just 79 in under 15 overs. Spinner Noor Ahmad led the attack, triggering a collapse through the middle and lower order. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai struck early, removing openers Innocent Kaia and Brian Bennett in successive overs. Abdullah Tarakhail then dismissed captain Sikandar Raza, leaving Zimbabwe struggling at 13 for three in the fourth over. Ryan Burl offered resistance with 30 runs before Abdollah Ahmadzai trapped him leg-before-wicket. Noor subsequently ran through the remaining batters to restrict Zimbabwe to a modest total. Afghanistan began the chase aggressively, with Mohammad Akram scoring 14 runs off five deliveries before falling to Blessing Muzarabani. Sediqullah Atal contributed 20 off 14 balls but was dismissed by Ernest Masuku, who also removed Noor ul Rahman to give Zimbabwe a brief opening. However, Ibrahim Zadran remained unbeaten on 25, while Omarzai scored an unbeaten 18 to guide Afghanistan home comfortably with seven wickets in hand. Afghanistan had already secured an unassailable 2-0 lead after winning the opening two matches. In the second T20I, Omarzai smashed 116 off 50 balls, helping Afghanistan secure a 19-run victory despite Raza's impressive 106 off 56 deliveries. Rashid Khan had starred in the series opener with an all-round performance as Afghanistan won by 37 runs. The teams will now shift focus to Test cricket, with a two-match series scheduled to begin on November 5.
