Afghanistan Bowl First in T20I Series Decider Against Zimbabwe

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan opted to bowl after winning the toss for the third consecutive time in the final T20I against Zimbabwe. The match, being played in Harare, serves as the decider for the three-match series, which is currently tied 1-1

Team Updates

Afghanistan
Rashid Khan’s team made one change to their lineup, bringing in left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi to replace Fareed Ahmad in a like-for-like swap. The adjustment aims to bolster their pace attack for the crucial match.

Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe, led by Sikandar Raza, also made a single change. Faraz Akram, a pace-bowling allrounder, replaced spin-bowling allrounder Ryan Burl. Akram, who has played nine T20Is, last featured in July against India.

Afghanistan Bowl First in T20I Series Decider Against Zimbabwe
Afghanistan Bowl First in T20I Series Decider Against Zimbabwe

Series So Far

The series has been closely contested, with Zimbabwe winning a nail-biting first match on the last ball, while Afghanistan staged a strong comeback with a comprehensive 50-run victory in the second game.

Notably, Zimbabwe is still seeking their first bilateral T20I series win against Afghanistan, having lost all five prior series.

Playing XIs

Zimbabwe:

  1. Brian Bennett
  2. Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk)
  3. Dion Myers
  4. Wessly Madhevere
  5. Sikandar Raza (capt)
  6. Tashinga Musekiwa
  7. Wellington Masakadza
  8. Faraz Akram
  9. Richard Ngarava
  10. Blessing Muzarabani
  11. Trevor Gwandu

Afghanistan:

  1. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)
  2. Sediqullah Atal
  3. Zubaid Akbari
  4. Darwish Rasooli
  5. Mohammad Nabi
  6. Azmatullah Omarzai
  7. Gulbadin Naib
  8. Rashid Khan (capt)
  9. Mujeeb Ur Rahman
  10. Naveen-ul-Haq
  11. Fazalhaq Farooqi

Match Context

This game is a high-stakes battle for both teams. Zimbabwe will aim to secure their first series win against Afghanistan, while Rashid Khan and his team will look to maintain their dominance in bilateral T20I contests.

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