AFGHANISTAN VS. ZIMBABWE: 2nd T20 2021| MATCH PREDICTION AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
Hosts Afghanistan take on Zimbabwe in the second T20 of the 3-match series at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Afghanistan took a lead in the T20 series after a dominating performance with the bat in the last game. On the other hand, Zimbabwe were short of firepower to chase down a mammoth total put up by the hosts. The visitors will look to fight back and win this match to level the series.
Afghan openers R Gurbaz and K Janat set the tone for the match with their 80-run opening partnership. Later, Gurbaz shared a 74-run partnership with skipper A Afghan to put up a massive total of 198 runs. In the second innings, star spinner R Khan led the bowling attack and picked up 3 wickets. Pacers K Janat and F Malik took 2 wickets each to restrict the opposition in the chase, thereby, helping Afghanistan win the match comfortably by 48 runs.
Zimbabwe’s bowlers went for a lot of runs and failed to take wickets up front. Ngarava and Muzurabani picked up 2 wickets each but were unable to control the run flow. In the run chase, the batting line-up did a poor job of putting up big partnerships as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Kamunhukamwe was their highest run scorer with 44 runs, while the experienced duo of S Willaims and S Raza played small cameos but failed to convert their scores into big innings and get the chase going.
While the Afghan players are better at playing across different leagues and are more experienced than their counterparts, expect both teams to have a more even contest with the series win on the line at Abu Dhabi.
Match Details
- Match: Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe, 2nd T20
- Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
- Date & Time: Mar. 19, 2021, at 3.30 PM IST
Probable Playing XI
Afghanistan
K Janat, R Gurbaz (WK), U Ghani, A Afghan (C), M Nabi, N Zadran, H Shahidi, R Khan, A Hamza, Naveen-ul-Haq, F Malik
Zimbabwe
T Kamunhukamwe, T Musakanda , S Williams (C), S Raza, W Madhevere, R Mutumbami (WK), R Burl, D Tiripano, B Muzarabani, R Ngarava , B Mavuta
Weather and Pitch Report
The weather is expected to be hot and sunny during the second match. The temperature will be around 33 degrees during the game.
The pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium has good bounce and pace on offer and the batsmen will enjoy playing on it. Timing will be important as the ground has slightly bigger boundaries as compared to other grounds. Spinners will come into play as the pitch starts getting a little slower in the second half. The average first innings score in the last five T20 matches played here has been 168 runs.
Although the last game was won by the team batting first, chasing remains the favored option for the captain winning the toss here. A first innings score of around 175 should be a challenging target.
Key Players
- R Gurbaz started the series on a high note, scoring superb 87 runs at a massive strike rate of 194, including 6 boundaries and 7 sixes. He trashed the opposition bowlers right from the first over of the last match and will be looking to do the same again here.
- A Afghan perfectly complemented Gurbaz with a half-century knock, scoring 55 runs off just 38 balls. He continued his brilliant form from the Test series and did not let Zimbabwe’s bowlers settle.
- R Khan had bowling figures of 3 for 28 in the last game. He took wickets at crucial points of the match and kept the pressure on the opponents’ batsmen. Expect him to take wickets in this game too.
- S Williams failed to make an impact for the first time in this tour. He scored an almost run-a-ball 22 runs and bowled a single over, giving away 14 runs. With the team missing other experienced players, he will look to lead his side from the front in this match.
- S Raza looked to give momentum to the chase in the middle overs with his 14-ball 22-run innings. However, he failed to stay on the crease and score big despite getting a good start. He will look to make a better contribution in this match and bowl his off-spinners with more penetration at the start.
- B Muzarabani went for almost 10 runs an over in his spell in the last game but managed to pick up a couple of wickets, thanks to a good last over. He has a knack for taking wickets and will look to take a few at the start of the innings in this match.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeeper: R Gurbaz
- Batsmen: A Aghan, N Zadran, T Kamunhukamwe
- All-rounders: N Nabi, S Raza, S Williams
- Bowlers: R Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, B Muzarabani, D Tiripano
- Captain: R Khan/M Nabi
- Vice Captain: S Raza/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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