Fri Dec 13 14:01:59 UTC 2024: ## Zimbabwe Edges Out Afghanistan in Thrilling T20 Victory
HARARE, ZIMBABWE – Tashinga Musekiwa’s heroics in the final over secured a dramatic four-wicket victory for Zimbabwe over Afghanistan in the first T20I of their three-match series at Harare Sports Club on Wednesday. Chasing 145, Zimbabwe looked to be in trouble after losing wickets regularly, but Musekiwa smashed 11 runs off the final over, including a crucial boundary, to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
The match was a rollercoaster. Afghanistan, after winning the toss, posted a respectable 144-6, thanks largely to Karim Janat’s unbeaten 54 and Mohammad Nabi’s 44. Zimbabwe’s reply saw a strong 75-run partnership between Brian Bennett (49) and Dion Myers, but wickets tumbled thereafter, leaving the hosts needing 11 runs from the final six balls.
Player-of-the-match Bennett praised Musekiwa’s match-winning contribution, stating, “It is always nice to contribute to a win. Credit to Musekiwa at the end.” Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan admitted his team fell short of their target score and conceded their bowling performance could have been better. He noted, “We wanted to get a good total on the board, but finished about 20 runs short…We gave away so many wickets early on and in Twenty20 matches it is difficult to fight back.”
This win marks only Zimbabwe’s second-ever T20 victory over Afghanistan, their previous win occurring five years ago in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Richard Ngarava for Zimbabwe and Naveen-ul-Haq for Afghanistan were the standout bowlers, each claiming three wickets. The two teams will face off again on Friday and Saturday, before embarking on a three-match ODI series and two Test matches. Zimbabwe currently leads the series 1-0.
First Piper 