ABU DHABI: Aggressive batting from Karim Janat and Mohammad Nabi and three wickets from Rashid Khan helped Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by 45 runs in the second Twenty20 International at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

Janat smacked 53 off 38 balls for his maiden international fifty while Nabi’s fiery 15-ball 40 lifted Afghanistan to an impressive 193-5 after they won the toss and batted.

Ace leg-spinner Rashid chipped in with 3-30, taking all three wickets in the 17th over, as Zimbabwe were dismissed for 148 to give Afghanistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Afghanistan won the first match by 48 runs. The third and final match is on Saturday, again in Abu Dhabi.

Zimbabwe lost Tinashe Kamunhukamwe off the first ball of their run chase and skipper Sean Williams for nine in the second over to slump to 11-2.

Ryan Burl (40) and Richmond Mutumbami (21) shared 62 runs for the sixth wicket to give Zimbabwe fresh belief.

Nabi, who also took 2-20, broke the stand while Rashid, held out the attack until the 10th over, dismissed Burl to extinguish Zimbabwe’s hopes.

Earlier, Janat brought up his fifty with some lusty hitting after losing his partner Rahmanullah Gurbaz for nine, cracking four sixes and three fours.

But it was Nabi who gave impetus to the innings, smashing four sixes in a whirlwind knock. Three of his sixes came off spinner Brandon Mavuta’s over which yielded 23 runs.

Usman Ghani also chipped in with a brisk 34-ball 49 with and shared 102 runs for the second wicket with Janat.

Paceman Blessing Muzarabani was the pick of Zimbabwe bowlers with 2-44.

AFGHANISTAN:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz c Mutumbami b Ngarava 9

Usman Ghani c Muzarabani b Tiripano 49

Karim Janat b Burl 53

Najibullah Zadran c Burl b Muzarabani 12

Mohammad Nabi c Musakanda b Muzarabani 40

Asghar Afghan not out 14

Rashid Khan not out 9

EXTRAS (NB-2, W-5) 7

TOTAL (for five wkts, 20 overs) 193

DID NOT BAT: Hashmatullah Shahidi, Amir Hamza, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fareed Ahmad

FALL OF WKTS: 1-9, 2-111, 3-119, 4-154, 5-171

BOWLING: Raza 3-0-26-0; Ngarava 4-0-31-1 (1nb); Muzarabani 4-0-44-2 (1nb, 1w); Mavuta 3-0-42-0 (1w); Tiripano 2-0-30-1 (3w); Williams 2-0-13-0; Burl 2-0-7-1

ZIMBABWE:

T. Kamunhukamwe lbw b Haq 0

T. Musakanda c Zadran b Hamza 22

S. Williams b Nabi 9

W. Madhevere c Ghani b Haq 7

Sikandar Raza c Hamza b Fareed 15

R. Mutumbami lbw b Nabi 21

R. Burl c Ghani b Rashid 40

D. Tiripano b Rashid 24

B. Mavuta c Haq b Rashid 0

B. Muzarabani b Janat 0

R. Ngarava not out 0

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-1, W-5) 10

TOTAL (all out, 17.1 overs) 148

FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-11, 3-27, 4-44, 5-56, 6-118, 7-141, 8-142, 9-148

BOWLING: Haq 3-0-28-2 (1w); Nabi 3-0-20-2; Hamza 2-0-17-1; Fareed 3-0-21-1 (1w); Janat 3.1-0-27-1 (3w); Rashid 3-0-30-3

RESULT: Afghanistan win by 45 runs.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Mohammad Nabi

UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Ahmed Shah Durrani (Afghanistan)

TV UMPIRE: Izatullah Safi (Afghanistan)

MATCH REFEREE: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2021