This First T20i between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan At the Harare Sports Club, it set the scene for an ongoing battle Afghanistan Zimbabwe tour. Afghanistan, Batting first, in 20 overs, 180/6 in 20 min/6 thanks to a blistering innings from the opening Ibrahim Zadran and the valuable contributions of others. Zimbabwe Chase was rocked by brilliant spin bowling Mujeeb ur RahmanA devastating spell dismantled the home side’s batting line-up, leading Afghanistan to a 53 -3 run victory.
Ibrahim Zadra’s blast sets up a strong total for Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s innings got off to a flying start with the opening pair Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Zadran lays a strong foundation. Zadran was particularly impressive, a quick-fire 52 off 33 balls with six fours and a six, aggressive strokeplay and early dominance of the Zimbabwean bowling attack. The pair’s partnership was 76 runs before the first wicket fell, setting a competitive tone.
Despite Zimbabwe losing wickets regularly due to some tight bowling Sikandar Raza and Muzarabani mubarakAfghanistan managed to maintain a healthy scoring rate of around nine runs per over. Like average order trends Sadiqullah atal and Azmatullah Omarzai added useful runs of 25 and 27 respectively Shahidullah Kamal and captain Rashid Khan He finished the innings in style, helping Afghanistan post a challenging 180/6.
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Mujeeb ur Rahman’s spin wizard crushes Zimbabwe’s chase
Chasing 181, Zimbabwe started their innings under pressure and Afghanistan’s Mujeeb capitalized often. Mujeeb bowled a devastating spell claiming four crucial wickets for just 20 runs in 3 overs at an economy of 6.66. His magical spin and sharp variation proved too difficult for Zimbabwe’s batsmen, setting up an early collapse in the chase. Mujeeb picked up key touches including Tadiwanashe Marumani, Brendan Taylorand dangerous Brad Evans, Wrap up the hopes of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe have struggled to form any meaningful partnerships, despite batting regularly Tony Munyoga (20 runs) and Thank you Maposa (32 runs), failed to bowl the innings effectively. Zimbabwe were eventually bowled out for 127 in 16.1 overs, 53 runs short.
Mujeeb’s spell tilted the game decisively in Afghanistan’s favor as he exploited the circumstances. Along with good support from Omarzai and Spin Duo Rashid Khan Shahidullah sealed a comprehensive victory in the opener in the Afghanistan series.
Afghanistan got the better of Zimbabwe in the first T20I#Zimwafg pic.twitter.com/fx1xqimq3e
– CricketTimes.com (@crickettimeshq) October 29, 2025
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