After their humiliating defeat to Afghanistan in the second ODI, Zimbabwe skipper Craig Owen says they must start over and correct their mistakes. Sediqullah Atal’s blitzkrieg century and top-notch bowling performances from AM Ghazanfar and Naveed Zadran helped Afghanistan clinch 232 in the second match of the ODI series at Harare Sports Club on Thursday Defeated Zimbabwe by 10 points.
Speaking after the match, Owen praised the Afghanistan bowlers and said they were very skilled in the match. The skipper also praised Newman Nyamhuri and said his performance on Thursday was impressive.
“I thought the pitch was a little better than the last game. We just wanted to build a platform. [Problem] We have to go back to the drawing board. Afghanistan’s bowlers are very skilled. But we didn’t show 50 going all out. [On Newman Nyamhuri] He made a lasting impression. He is a kid with a bright future. Hopefully he can continue to do well. [Maposa’s injury] He’s done with his quad. I’m not sure how bad it is. He is expected to miss the next game. Wish him a speedy recovery.
Looking back at the match, Zimbabwe won the toss and decided to face Afghanistan first in Harare. Opener Sediqullah Atal (104 runs off 128 balls, 8 fours and 4 sixes) and Abdul Malik (101 runs) , 11 fours and 1 six for 84 runs) got Afghanistan off to a hot start after consolidating a 191-run partnership.
After Afghanistan were eliminated from the opener, captain Hashmathullah Shahidi (29 off 30 balls, four fours) and Mohammad Nabi (18 off 16 balls, one six) The rebound added some crucial runs and pushed the visitors’ score to 286/6 runs in the first innings.
In the first game, Zimbabwe performed poorly with the ball and failed to break through quickly. Newman Nyamhuri led the Zimbabwe bowling attack as he took three wickets in the 10-over match.
In the run chase, the Zimbabwe batsmen had no chance to settle down as the Afghanistan bowlers took an early wicket in the second innings. Sean Williams (18 balls, 2 fours, 16 runs) and Sikandar Raza (32 balls, 3 fours, 19 runs) were the only top run scorers for the home team.
Ghazanfar and Naveed Zadran led the Afghanistan bowling attack with three wickets in their respective matches and restricted Zimbabwe with 32 balls remaining at 54 points and won the victory by 232 points. Fazalhaq Farooqi picked up two wickets in his six-over innings.
Afghanistan took a 1-0 lead in the series on Thursday after the first match of the series ended in vain due to persistent rain.