With day two between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan officially over, one side had full control after looking far ahead of the other in all three sessions. Seeing that this was the Chevrons who dominated every phase of this match and looked strong in their batting style, they were able to finish the day with a 198-run lead.
Given that this was a huge uptick from how they were previously performing a couple of months back, a lot of confidence has been built against top nations once again. With Craig Ervine continuing to establish himself as one of the best captains this side has ever had, he keeps on proving that this side will always have many ways to pull back up when they are in immense struggles.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan will really need a way to fight back in this match as they have been outclassed in batting, bowling, and fielding. One of the other sides that is a bit newer to this format, these type of struggles were still not expected given the fact that they have dominated Zimbabwe recently.
Having no Rashid Khan does make a huge loss since he has been their best spinner by far, while other pieces like Mohammed Nabi and Rahmat Shah aren’t there for leadership purposes. Given this, their depth is really being tested, and Hashmatullah Shahidi is going to have to answer quickly if he wants to make this a much closer match than it is going right now.
Zimbabwe Finished Out Their Innings In An Extrodinary Fashion
Looking at the way Zimbabwe batted today, it really showed that their potential is there and can be a real threat when they put it all together. Starting at 130/2 today and at a stage where they were in firm control, there was a small moment in the middle where it seemed like they lost it.
With Brendan Taylor being removed for 32 runs on 43 deliveries after hitting 6 fours, he was the third wicket that went away, and Craig Ervine followed right after with a knock of just 5. Although he looked very dangerous after hitting a boundary on one of his first balls, this was a big wicket for Afghanistan as they got a break with him completely mis-timing one into the legs.
Knowing that Sikandar Raza was next, his knock was vital as this was someone who provided a 99-run partnership with Ben Curran still in. Seeing that Raza has stayed consistent in all three formats, despite his age, he was able to score 65 runs on 88 deliveries with 7 great boundaries.
Really switching strike well with the left-handed Curran, they took over the remaining parts of the middle overs and got this side to 265/4 before Raza’s wicket. As Curran hit a century after he fell, this was someone who got them past 100 and really gave them full confidence down the order. With Ben Curran being the next wicket to fall after scoring 121 and 15 fours, Brad Evans was a massive reason for them to get towards 359/10.
Afghanistan’s Pacers Were A Strength Despite Giving Up Many Runs
As we see Afghanistan’s bowling, their fast bowlers were a benefit despite struggling at times, while their spinners really struggled to figure out similar strengths. Looking at Ziaur Rahman, he had a massive 7-wicket haul that kept his side in the match and was key from the right end.
Someone who was not really known prior to this match, he has made his name known due to being a key piece that can clean-bowl several batsmen and has one of the more lethal yorkers. Given that there were a lot of expensive bowlers around him down the stretch, he was able to keep that economy around 3.03 and has continued building his name by hitting consistent lines.
For another right-handed pacer, Yamin Ahmadzami has been big since he got 7 maiden overs during this match and had only allowed 62 runs, despite bowling 24 full overs. Known for his ability to bowl long overs, this was a big revelation for their side since many other key pieces were out, and it showed the depth they could potentially have for the future.
Looking at the spinners, Khalil Gurbaz was having a bit of a nightmarish day as he gave up nearly 9.00 an over and couldn’t create any wicket-taking threat. Left-handed spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf was at a similar stage, while giving up almost 4 an over, and captain Hasmatullah Shahidi rounded out this attack with his 6 overs.
2nd Innings Has Positives and Negatives For Both Sides
With Afghanistan’s 2nd chance to bat starting, both them and Zimbabwe had several positives plus negatives during this stage. Opener Abdul Malik was removed by Richard Ngarava early on for two after bowling a beauty that landed right into Blessing Muzarabani’s hands. As they did lose him pretty early, their other opener in Ibrahim Zadran, was able to score 25 runs on 37 balls and has built a solid partnership with three fours to begin his innings.
Someone whose well-known for starting, despite losing many wickets around him, Ibrahim created a massive 24-run partnership with Ramunullah Gurbaz, who already scored 7 runs early on during this stage.
On Zimbabwe, Blessing Muzarabani has already gotten 5 overs and just let up 19 in them, while continuing to provide bouncers at a very high level. Known for building pace with his action, this is key because Richard Ngarva is also in form on the other side. With Brad Evans getting 2 overs as well, he has shown some ability similar to that first innings, where he picked up 5 wickets, and hopes to get some quick ones earlier on tomorrow after nearly missing out on one today.
Closing it out, Sikandar Raza has been their first spinning option all match long and will hope to get a few more overs with Tanaka Chivanga waiting to get his overs, too.
What lies ahead on Day 3
Going into tomorrow, Zimbabwe will be looking to make a big difference with the ball as their pacers have gotten off to a solid start and should provide that same consistency. As Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarva continue being massive game winners, their style of play should have a huge impact on how they attack Pakistan.
With Brad Evans being another option, they hope to get them all out before 198 runs, so they can end this match without having to go into a 2nd innings of batting. For Afghanistan, Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran hope to build on a strong-looking partnership as it’s up to them to make a massive comeback in this match.
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