The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
So that is all that we have for you from the Harare Sports Club! Afghanistan have won all their six matches on this tour to Zimbabwe and are looking good to play more matches under more pressure against tougher opponents. Zimbabwe have some soul searching to do after these losses if they have to come back stronger. This is the commentary pair of Soorya and Bidipto, saying good bye! Keep following Sportskeeda for more cricketing action!
Player of the Series, Najib Zadran: I am very happy as a senior player that I have performed and won the player of the series award. I told the captain that I will take responsibility with the bat in the middle order and I will make it count, glad that it came off well. Our next focus will be on the Asia Cup, we have some exciting batters in our ranks, we will give each and every player, batter or bowler, the chance to impress, so that we are ready heading into the Asia Cup.
Player of the Match, Noor Ahmad: It is a dream of every player to play for the national team, I worked very hard for it and I'm thankful for what happened. I talked to Rashid before the innings about how to go about things, he said to keep it simple but tight and the rest would follow. It is definitely tough to break into such a quality bowling attack, but that is the challenge that I relish.
Afghanistan captain, Mohammad Nabi: This obviously was the plan to win all three matches and we executed it! It was not going to be easy to bat on this pitch, we knew it, and so we packed our team with spinners today. We wanted to give all out squad players a chance to play and that is what we want to do going forward as well. The squad should be the best as far as the 15 selected players is concerned.
Craig Ervine (Zimbabwe Captain): I think Noor Ahmad came and pretty much blew us away. We had a reasonable start - 40 odd for 1 at the end of the Powerplay but in the middle-overs we were completely undone by spin. It's going to be a hugely important time for us. We have to sit down after this and go over all the little things that we didn't do well and also the things we did do well and work on that. We're going to have to work extremely hard in the next few weeks if we are to qualify (for the T20 World Cup). It's always disappointing but you have to pick yourself up and keep your chin up. The first two T20s we were close. Again, it's just those key moments that Afghanistan have won and we haven't. They've just played better cricket than us throughout the series.
Afghanistan - 125/8 in 20 overs (Mohammad Nabi 31 off 30 balls, Sikandar Raza 2/18 in 4 overs) beat Zimbabwe - 90/9 in 20 overs (Wessly Madhevere 14 off 14 balls, Noor Ahmad 4/10 in 4 overs) by 35 runs and win the 3-match T20I series 3-0.
It was not going to be an easy run chase considering the nature of the pitch and the quality of the Afghanistan spin-bowling attack, but one did not imagine that it would get this tough for the hosts to even get close! A spellbinding performance from the Afghan spinners and Fazal Haq Farooqi, to hand their team, a clean sweep over the hosts!
Zimbabwe began well against Nijat Masood as Wessly Madhevere and Innocent Kaia took it to him and scored some quick runs to get the chase underway at a brisk pace, but the moment spin got introduced, it produced a wicket. By then, Fazal Haq had bowled two good and tight overs. The first ball from Sharafuddin turned out to be a wicket-ball and from then on, there was no turning back for the hosts. Come Noor Ahmad, and it got worse. There was a direct hit to get inflict a run out, but then, Noor spun such a web on the Zimbabwe batting, that it collapsed under its pressure. Sharaf continued his run and got followed and backed up well by Rashid Khan, who else!
Noor picked up 4 wickets, announcing himself at the world stage in T20Is and got the ball to turn both ways from over the wicket. Rashid Khan and his googlies were again unpickable and Mohammad Nabi did not even have to bring himself on to bowl!
Fazal Haq then came back with two good overs to get rid of Ryan Burl as well, the last threat remaining in the Zimbabwe batting line-up.
On the whole, there is plenty on the table for Zimbabwe to improve on with the bat, as they cannot always rely on Sikandar Raza to bail them out of trouble. As for Afghanistan, with the ball at least, the intent is there to cover most bases, if not all.
20
overs
90/9score
1
1
1
2
1lb
1
runs
Ainsley Ndlovu
13(19)
Tendai Chatara*
6(7)
Nijat Masood
0/27
19.6 Nijat Masood to Tendai Chatara, steps down the track and slaps this short of a length delivery to mid-off's right as the fielder collects it on the bounce and fires an errant throw. A single draws the curtains on this tour and it's been the Afghan show all the way. Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by 35 runs to seal a 3-0 series sweep!
Last ball of the series coming up!
19.5 Nijat Masood to Ainsley Ndlovu, slower delivery on a short length and angled into the stumps, Ndlovu sits on one knee and plays all around his slog as it nips back in and keeps low to ping him on the thigh pad. The batters cross over for a leg bye though!
Video
;'/></svg>)
R Khan
;'/></svg>){kind=small}
Harare Sports Club
Ainsley Ndlovu
Nijat Masood
