AFGHANISTAN VS. ZIMBABWE: 1st T20 2021 | MATCH PREDICTION AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
Hosts Afghanistan take on Zimbabwe in the first T20 of a 3-match series at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
After the 2-match Test series finished on level terms, the two teams will now clash in the shortest format. Afghanistan are at their best in this format and have had a very good record against Zimbabwe in recent years. Both teams will keep the T20 World Cup happening later in the year in mind.
The onus of Afghanistan team batting department will be on the likes of R Gurbaz and skipper A Afghan primarily as the others in the top order do not have much experience in this format. M Nabi has a lot of experience and will have a huge role to play in the middle order. On the bowling front, star leg spinner R Khan holds the key and he is likely to be effective on this surface. Naveen-Ul-Haq is a talented young seamer with lots of T20 experience.
For the visitors, the responsibility of scoring runs will have to be shared between skipper S Williams and S Raza – their two most experienced batsmen. W Madhevere is another batsman to watch out for. On the bowling front, D Tiripano and B Muzarabani will be responsible for taking wickets. S Williams and S Raza are also expected to turn their arms for some crucial overs of spin.
With both sides aiming to gain the upper hand by winning the first match of the series, it should be a pretty exciting contest at Abu Dhabi.
Match Details
- Match: Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe, 1st T20
- Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
- Date & Time: Mar. 17, 2021, at 3.30 PM IST
Probable Playing XI
Afghanistan
U Ghani, R Gurbaz (WK), I Zadran, A Afghan (C), M Nabi, N Zadran, K Janat, R Khan, A Hamza, Naveen-ul-Haq, F Farooqi
Zimbabwe
P Masvaure, M Shumba, S Williams (C), W Madhevere, S Raza, R Mutumbami (WK), R Burl, D Tiripano, B Muzarabani, V Nyauchi, F Akram
Weather and Pitch Report
The weather is expected to be hot and sunny for the first match. The temperature will be around 34 degrees during the game.
The pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium is likely to be on the slower side. While batsmen will enjoy the hardness in the Power Play overs, the surface will slow down in the later stage and the spinners will come into play. The average first innings score in the last 5 T20 matches has been 162 runs.
Chasing teams have won the majority of the matches played here. So expect the captain winning the toss to opt to bat first. A first innings score of around 170 should be a challenging target.
Key Players
- R Gurbaz has had a decent start in international cricket, scoring 332 runs at an average of 33.2 and a strike rate of 140.67, which includes two half centuries. He was brilliant in the last series against Ireland, scoring his maiden century in his debut match.
- M Nabi has a lot of experience in this format and can contribute equally well with both bat and ball. He has played 78 T20I matches, scoring 1347 runs at a strike rate of 145.3, and has also picked up 69 wickets at an economy of 7.17 runs per over.
- R Khan has made his name in bowling in this format of the game. He has picked up 89 wickets in 48 matches at a brilliant economy rate of 6.14. He gave a good performance in the last Test match taking 11 wickets and is likely to trouble the opponent batsmen here.
- S Williams is in hot form on this tour with 264 runs in 2 matches, including centuries in both the games. He has also picked up 32 wickets, with the best bowling figure of 3/15. Expect him to continue his good batting form here.
- W Madhevere was the top run scorer for Zimbabwe in the T20I series against Pakistan. He scored 103 runs in 3 matches at an average of 51.5, with the highest score of 70. He has played three innings on this tour so far but is yet to score a run. He will be hoping to play a big innings here.
- B Muzarabani is in good form, taking wickets consistently in international matches. He took 8 wickets in the Test series and 11 wickets on the previous tour of Pakistan. He will look to pick up wickets in this match as well.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeeper: R Gurbaz
- Batsmen: H Shahidi, W Madhevere, P Masvaure
- All-rounders: N Nabi, S Raza, S Williams
- Bowlers: I Zadran, R Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, B Muzarabani
- Captain: R Gurbaz/M Nabi
- Vice Captain: W Madhevere/S Williams
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
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