Zadran, Omarzai powers Afghanistan in opening win over Zimbabwe: 1st T20 (Harare)

Afghanistan delivered a dominating performance against Zimbabwe in the 1st T20I of their 2025 series in Harare, securing victory by 53 runs to take a 1–0 series lead.

Batting first, Afghanistan set a formidable target of 180, powered by an aggressive opening stand led by Ibrahim Zadran’s 52, with valuable contributions from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and late acceleration by Shahidullah Kamal. Zimbabwe’s bowlers, especially Sikandar Raza, made vital breakthroughs, but Afghanistan’s spirited finish left Zimbabwe needing a challenging chase.

In response, Zimbabwe’s top order crumbled under relentless seam and spin, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s 4-wicket haul dismantling the hosts before lower-order fightbacks from Tinotenda Maposa and Brad Evans added respectability to their 127-all-out total.

Omarzai’s all-round display earned him player of the match, highlighting Afghanistan’s authority with both bat and ball as they claimed an emphatic win to start the series.

Afghanistan 180 for 6 (Zadran 52, Gurbaz 39, Raza 3-20) beat Zimbabwe 127 (Maposa 32, Mujeeb 4-20, Omarzai 3-29) by 53 runs.

Oct 2025.