আফগানিস্তান 81 for 3 (Zadran 25*, Masuku 2-21) beat জিম্বাবুয়ে 79 (Burl 30, Noor 5-13, Tarakhail 2-14) by seven উইকেট
আফগানিস্তান 81 for 3 (Zadran 25*, Masuku 2-21) beat জিম্বাবুয়ে 79 (Burl 30, Noor 5-13, Tarakhail 2-14) by seven উইকেট। Ibrahim Zadran hoped that his team's chasing abilities would be put to test in the third and final T20I against জিম্বাবুয়ে when he elected to bowl. But জিম্বাবুয়ে did not give them much to chase as Noor Ahmad's maiden five-উইকেট haul - 5 for 13 in a spell of 3.3 overs - resulted in a commanding seven-উইকেট for আফগানিস্তান.। Zadran's side overhauled a paltry target of 80 in just 49 balls to record their second-best win in terms of balls remaining in the format. The win secured আফগানিস্তান a sweep over জিম্বাবুয়ে and their 22nd T20I win in 24 matches.।
পেসাররা provides pitch-perfect start for আফগানিস্তান। This was a typical Sharjah pitch, expected to play slow as the match progressed. It supported a tinge of grass which made negotiating the faster bowlers early in the innings a difficult proposition. And while the new ball did its tricks, moving extravagantly in the air - especially when Fazalhaq Farooqi, who missed the last match, came on to bowl - the Zimbabwean top-order's questionable shot selection allowed the আফগানিস্তান fast bowlers an opportunity to make early inroads.। Farooqi had Innocent Kaia nick one to the wicketkeeper as he angled his last delivery of the game's first over across the ব্যাটার. Azmatullah Omarzai, the hero of the last match and Player of the Series, had Brian Bennett caught at mid-off with a floated-up delivery outside off at the start of the second over. আফগানিস্তান had picked up consecutive উইকেট to reduce জিম্বাবুয়ে to 8 for 2.।
Their অধিনায়ক, Sikander Raza, looked to counterattack after facing seven balls for only two রান. When debutant Abdullah Tarakhail was introduced into the attack, Raza miscued a whack down the ground to mid-off, handing the 25-year-old his maiden international উইকেট with only his second ball.। Burl offers semblance of resistance। With the powerplay approaching its end and জিম্বাবুয়ে struggling for রান, Ryan Burl got into the act against Omarzai in the fifth over with back-to-back boundaries. Though the first of them had come off a leading edge, which flew past the keeper, the second was a বিবৃতি shot as he slapped a length ball over mid-on for four. He dispatched Tarakhail twice towards the fence in the next over to drag his team to 37 for three by the end of the powerplay. Twenty-one of them had come from Burl's bat.।
This series was played without a DRS system for the players, and there were a few controversial calls by the umpires in this match, one of them accounting for Burl's dismissal. One earlier resulted in a quarrel between Burl and Rashid Khan after an LBW shout was turned down. Burl was thumped on his front pad in the line of stumps as he missed a reverse sweep and the umpiring decision irked the legspinner.। He engaged in a heated exchange with Burl three balls later, and the two had to be separated by Ahmad Shah Pakteen, one of the two on-field umpires. The two continued to engage with each other with hostility at the completion of the over, compelling Farooq Khan, the other on-field umpire, to break them apart this time.। Ironically, in the next over, Abdollah Ahmadzai had Burl dismissed lbw on a ball which seemed to be sliding down the leg side as two-and-a-half stumps were visible at the time of impact. He made 30 off 29 in an innings in which the next best score was 10 off 17 by Wessly Madhevere.।
Noor too hot to handle for জিম্বাবুয়ে। By the end of the next over - the 11th of the innings - আফগানিস্তান were bowling to জিম্বাবুয়ে's tail, thanks to Noor Ahmad, whose three of his ৫টি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ উইকেট came in four balls in this over as জিম্বাবুয়ে struggled to pick his variations.। Madhevere seemed eager to counter with an attempted reverse sweep against Noor Ahmad in the next over. His failure to add any রান to the total off it then forced him into a hoick down the ground, which resulted in a stumping as he was beaten by the lack of pace on the flighted wrong'un.।
Noor came around the উইকেট to Tafadzwa Tsiga on the next ball and had him caught in the slips off another wrong 'un. Tadiwanashe Marumani handed him his third উইকেট, a ball after his hat-trick delivery - a floated-up one, which tempted Marumani to go big. The ব্যাটার holed out to long-off, where Omarzai took a brilliant diving catch.। Noor took the last two উইকেট across his next two overs, the last of them ending জিম্বাবুয়ে's innings in 14.3 overs for only 79 রান, their second-lowest total in the format.। Following his career-best return, Noor now averages 5.66 against জিম্বাবুয়ে for his nine উইকেট. His previous best figures of 4 for 10 had also come against them at Harare in 2022.।
আফগানিস্তান race to the target। আফগানিস্তান had poor starts to the powerplay in the first two T20Is of this series. Ibrahim Zadran mentioned at the toss that the team was eager to rectify that. The paltry nature of the target allowed them to play with freedom. Mohammad Akram, promoted to open in Rahmanullah Gurbaz's absence, swung wildly at all five balls he faced. The first three of these shots brought him boundaries, but he was caught on the last - at mid-off in the opening over.। জিম্বাবুয়ে picked up a couple of উইকেট in the fifth over by Ernest Masuku, but by then, Sediqullah Atal's boundary-laden innings had already brought আফগানিস্তান close to বিজয়.।
Omarzai carved Nyamhuri out of the ground with a six over deep third, as আফগানিস্তান finished the powerplay at a comfortable 54 for 3. Zadran smoked four boundaries off Masuku, and the final rites of the chase were delivered by Omarzai. He played a hoick down the ground off Vincent Masekesa's long-hop, smashing the ball for a huge six, as আফগানিস্তান recorded their second-biggest win in terms of balls remaining in T20Is, also sealing a 3-0 series sweep.। Soft dismissal and both opening batters return to the hut। Pitched up front outside off and plays the front foot straight drive aerially, fails to generate enough power or elevation to evade the infield, picks out the mid-off fielder at the edge of the circle.।
Farooqi strikes with the new ball once again. Fuller length ball pitching around the fifth stump channel and angling away, plays away from the body and gets nowhere near the line of the ball, no visible foot movement and tickles off the outside part of the bat to the wicketkeeper for a regulation catch. Poor outing for Kaia, looked shaky right from the start today.। Maiden International উইকেট for Abdullah Tarakhil and he gets a massive one। He will remember this one for years, surely. Length ball with some width offered outside off, and Raza tries to whack it over the off-side infield. He doesn't quite get hold of it and miscues it toward mid-off, where আফগানিস্তান skipper Ibrahim Zadran is waiting for the catch and gobbles it up. জিম্বাবুয়ে are in deep trouble now.।
Full on the pads and angling in. Burl tries to flick it away, fails to connect, and it thuds into his back leg. A massive appeal from the বোলার, and the umpire is convinced। Rashid Khan raises his finger and signals Burl out. Now, was it sliding down the leg stump। We will have to wait for the replay. Burl walks straight off the field, and he is certainly in a serious bad mood today.।
Beaten all ends up and the keeper is celebrating right away। Lovely pitched up front, flighted delivery and spins away just a wee bit to deceive the ব্যাটার. Madhevere had no clue of the wrong'un ball and plays with hard hands to the cover area, misses the line and length and steps out of the crease, and he is miles out of the crease. Not sure why the square leg umpire sent it upstairs to the third ump, but it is what it is.। Caught in the deep, and Noor Ahmad is having an absolute blast out there with the ball।
That is the third উইকেট of the over by the chinaman magician. He floats a fuller length delivery from over the উইকেট, and Marumani gets inside the line to thump it straight toward long off. Omarzai comes around, dives to his left and collects the catch cleanly just as it dips under the floodlights. Celebrations erupt from the fielding team, and Omarzai ends up on the ground after losing his balance while giving a high-five to Noor. Wonderful team spirit on display from আফগানিস্তান। Chips it to the slip fielder। Good length ball flighted and angling in on the stumps, Tsiga gets caught up in two minds and then decides to work this away across the line, closes the face of the bat too early and gets the leading edge to the slip fielder, who makes no mistake there.।
Floated a fuller length ball in the blockhole. Nyamhuri backs away early to create room, plays it inside-out and misses the slot delivery, crashes onto the base of the middle-leg stump.। Splices it to deep third। Length ball outside off and Muzarabani throws the kitchen sink at it, gets the leading edge and flies it straight to the deep third area, where the sweeper fielder gobbles it up cleanly. Muzarabani looks at his bat in a concerned way.।
That's dead-plumb. Five-উইকেট haul for Noor Ahmad। Length ball flighted on the stumps, a touch slower and spinning just enough to deceive the tailender. He gets tangled up playing off the back foot, fails to block it in front of the stumps, and gets rapped on the back pad. These are now the best bowling figures for Noor Ahmad in T20I cricket। He jumps for joy to celebrate the milestone before dropping down to perform Sijdah.।
Finally, some space for Muzarabani to breathe। Extra bounce off the pitch around off, Akram tries to heave it away and mistimes the stroke, chips a sitter gift to the Zimbabwean skipper at the left of mid-off, who rushes forward and pouches it. Akram is furious with himself, whacking his pad with his bat as he trudges back to the dugout.। Back of a length ball held on the pitch around the sixth stump channel, walks forward and punches it square a bit too early, mistimes it aerially to the backward point fielder for a simple catch. Atal stands there baffled by the nature of the pitch, staring down in disbelief at the turf.।
Silver duck for Noor। Back of a length ball on the stumps, tries to bunt it down off the back foot and plays down the wrong line, thuds the inner thigh pad in front of the stumps. Masuku pleads enthusiastically for the lbw, and the umpire finally raises his finger।
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