Zimbabwe’s captain Sikandar Raza won the toss and elected to bowl first in the opening T20I against Afghanistan, held in Sharjah. This match marks the beginning of a three-game series between the two sides. Notably, the Zimbabwean side sees the return of Ben Curran, who has been sidelined due to injury. Meanwhile, Blessing Muzarabani is absent, having not fully recovered from a niggle in time for the match. Making his T20I debut for Zimbabwe is bowler Ernest Masuku.
Commenting on the decision to bowl first, Raza remarked, “Looks like a fresh wicket, a bit of moisture as well; we will try to make early inroads and put them under pressure as well.”
Afghan skipper Ibrahim Zadran expressed a similar intent, adding that he would have chosen to bowl first had he won the toss. “We will now try to put a good total on the board,” said Zadran. “We have got some new good guys in the squad, trying to give them that mentality: Don’t put pressure on yourself, enjoy your cricket and your skills.”
Historically, Afghanistan has been dominant in the T20 format, winning all but two of their 21 encounters with Zimbabwe. This includes triumphs in their last five meetings, stretching back to December 2024.
Their rivalry was rekindled recently in an ODI tri-series, which included Bangladesh. Afghanistan emerged victorious in the final with a commanding seven-wicket win.
Teams:
– Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (capt), Sediqullah Atal, Mohammad Akram, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Shahidullah Kamal, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad.
– Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Innocent Kaia, Sikandar Raza (capt), Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Ryan Burl, Wessly Madhevere, Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, Wellington Masakadza, Ernest Masuku.
