Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by 37 runs in the first T20I in Sharjah

Fans are searching for the Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe result because the second T20I of the three-match series is on Thursday, again at Sharjah [1]. The opener went to Afghanistan by 37 runs [2] [4].

What happened

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza chose to field first, and the decision backfired [1]. Afghanistan were 66 for 5 at one stage [3]. Ahmadzai walked out at No. 7 with the board reading 66 for 5 after 11.2 overs [1]. Tapmad says he turned things around [3].

Geo Super and TheSportsTak have his fifty at 52 off 22 balls [1] [4]. CricTracker puts it at 51 off 20 balls, with four fours and four sixes [2]. Shahidullah Kamal made 46 off 42 balls [2] [1], and Rashid Khan hit 30 off 10 balls later in the innings [2]. Afghanistan were all out for 177 in 19.5 overs [5].

The bowling did the rest. Fazalhaq Farooqi took 3 for 13 in 3.1 overs [5]. Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Azmatullah Omarzai took two wickets each [5].

Zimbabwe needed 178 to win [1], and they were bowled out for 140 in 19.1 overs [5], 38 runs short of that target. Ryan Burl top-scored with 32 off 24 balls [3] [5], and Innocent Kaia made 24 [1]. Newman Nyamhuri took 4 for 31 for Zimbabwe [1] [3], but it was not enough. Brad Evans and Ernest Masuku took two wickets each for Zimbabwe, and Wellington Masakadza and Raza took one apiece [1].

Context in the series

The match was played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium [1] [4]. It is a three-match T20I series, and Afghanistan lead it 1-0 [4].

The date is not uniform across outlets. Tapmad gives 28 October [3], while CricTracker, Geo Super and TheSportsTak all give 27 October, a Tuesday [2] [1] [4]. Tapmad is the only one of the four reviewed that uses 28 October [3].

Rashid Khan was named Player of the Match, according to TheSportsTak [4]. CricTracker's report describes his 30 off 10 balls and two wickets, and calls Ahmadzai's fifty the turning point [2]. Geo Super headlined its report "Afghanistan ease past Zimbabwe in T20I series opener" [1].

What comes next

The second T20I is at the same ground on Thursday [1]. Afghanistan go into it 1-0 up with two matches left [4]. Their top order was 66 for 5 in the first game, so the question for Thursday is whether it can start without a rescue like Ahmadzai's [1]. Zimbabwe's batting ended on 140 all out, and Kaia's 24 was the next-best score after Burl's 32 [1], with Raza and Madhevere on 17 each [5]. Zimbabwe need more from the rest of the order if they are to level the series. A win in Sharjah on Thursday would bring the score to 1-1 with the third match still to play [4].