Zimbabwe made an early impact with the ball, taking three wickets during the Powerplay. They continued to put pressure on the hosts and reduced Afghanistan to 66/5.
However, Shahidullah Kamal and Ijaz Ahmadzai steadied the innings with a valuable middle-order partnership. Their contributions helped Afghanistan recover and build a defendable total.
Ijaz recorded his maiden T20I half-century and equalled the record for the fastest fifty by an Afghanistan batter in the format. Rashid Khan added useful runs towards the end of the innings as Afghanistan strengthened their position.
Zimbabwe had controlled the contest during the first half of the innings but could not maintain that advantage after the partnership developed.
Zimbabwe began their chase with contributions from the top order but struggled to convert those starts into substantial scores.
Fazalhaq Farooqi took an early wicket for Afghanistan. Zimbabwe avoided further losses during the Powerplay of 1st T20 but Afghanistan made progress during the middle overs through their spin attack.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan picked up important wickets to slow the chase. Farooqi returned later to take further wickets, while Azmatullah Omarzai claimed two dismissals towards the end of the innings.
Zimbabwe lost their final six wickets for 33 runs and were unable to keep pace with the required rate. Ryan Burl contributed with the bat, but the visitors could not establish the partnerships needed to challenge Afghanistan’s total.
Kamal also contributed with the ball and completed a catch, adding to his half-century during Afghanistan’s innings.
The 37-run win in 1st T20 gave Afghanistan an early advantage in the three-match series with Zimbabwe. Their recovery from 66/5 proved important in setting a target that Zimbabwe could not reach.
The hosts followed their batting effort with a consistent performance from the bowling unit. Zimbabwe, meanwhile, will look to build stronger partnerships and make better use of early breakthroughs in the next match.
The second T20I will give both teams another opportunity to strengthen their position in the series.
