Clinical Afghanistan take 1-0 lead against Zimbabwe

A 181-run partnership between Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rashid Khan's all-round efforts and Mohammad Nabi's four-wicket haul helped Afghanistan take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe. Having posted 276/5 on the board, Afghanistan bowled Zimbabwe out for 216 for a 60-run win at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday (June 4). Barring a couple of wides in the opening over, Fazalhaq Farooqi hit the right channels and got his reward with the wicket of Regis Chakabva in the second over of the chase. He also troubled Craig Ervine on a few occasions - he even hit the leg-stump after the batter missed a flick in the seventh over but the bails weren't dislodged. Ervine was also lucky as an umpire's call saved him when Fareed Ahmad struck him on the pad and Afghanistan opted for the review. Meanwhile, Ervine and Innocent Kaia were trying to build a partnership to keep Zimbabwe on track. A 61-run partnership for the second wicket was broken when Ervine's attempted drive ended up as a return catch for Azmatullah Omarzai. Afghanistan kept striking at regular intervals with Nabi leading the way - Wesley Madhevere was out caught and bowled, Kaia was trapped in front while Milton Shumba was caught behind - as Zimbabwe slipped to 124 for 5 after 32 overs. Sikandar Raza tried to keep the innings together, registering his 20th ODI fifty but Nabi delivered another strike as he had Ryan Burl bowled for 13 to end a 40-run stand for the sixth wicket. Zimbabwe needed 101 runs off the last 10 overs when Raza took the attack to Rashid Khan, scoring a four and a six off the legspinner. Donald Tiripano also struck a four apiece off Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Farooqi but Rashid bagged the big wicket of Raza in the 44th over, getting him out lbw, and he also had Tiripano bowled in his next over. Fareed Ahmad also bagged a wicket while Farooqi picked up his second as Zimbabwe finished well short of the target. Earlier, having been asked to bat, Afghanistan got off to a sedate start as Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran were kept in check by Blessing Muzarabani and Tendai Chatara. There was hardly anything loose on offer, which meant that Rahmanullah's top-edged six off Muzarabani was the only boundary scored in the opening stand before Zadran was out caught and bowled off a leading edge. Rahmat and Rahmanullah struck a couple of fours but Afghanistan could only manage 37 in the first 10 overs and they soon lost the other opener, with Tanaka Chivanga striking in his first over. Rahmat and Hashmatullah scored a couple of streaky boundaries but there were some good shots too and they also rotated the strike well as they went about building a platform for Afghanistan, helping their side past 100 in the 25th over. But Zimbabwe kept things quiet in the middle overs, keeping the boundaries to a minimum - from the 26th to the 35th over, only two fours were scored while Afghanistan managed only 30 runs in this period. Rahmat, meanwhile, had a lucky break in the 40s when he was put down by Madhevere off Burl and he went on to register a 95-ball half-century. Hashmatullah was slightly quicker to his fifty, getting there off 75 balls, with the pair raising a century partnership in 25 overs. Afghanistan's innings picked up pace once both batters got past fifty, with Rahmat scoring a six and a four off Chivanga in the 39th over, while Raza conceded three fours in the 40th, including two off Hashmatullah's bat. Muzarabani ended the big partnership with the wicket of Rahmat, and he also dismissed Hashmatullah and Nabi in his next over. But Rashid Khan's cameo ensured a competitive total for Afghanistan - he struck a four and a six off Muzarabani in the 49th over and followed it up with a six and two fours off Chatara in the final over to finish unbeaten on 39 off 17. Brief scores: Afghanistan 276/5 in 50 overs (Rahmat Shah 94, Hashmatullah Shahidi 88, Rashid Khan 39*; Blessing Muzarabani 4-52) beat Zimbabwe 216 (Sikandar Raza 67, Innocent Kaia 39; Mohammad Nabi 4-34, Rashid Khan 2-39) by 60 runs.