Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I

As the Afghanistan cricket team tours Zimbabwe for the 2025 T20 series, the first T20I at Harare Sports Club sets the stage for an exciting contest. Zimbabwe come into this game with mixed recent form, having shown flashes of brilliance at home but struggling against strong spin attacks. Afghanistan, on the other hand, have developed into one of the more formidable T20 sides globally, riding high on their consistent performances, especially in subcontinental conditions that are somewhat similar to Harare. Head-to-head, these teams have met several times in the T20 format, with Afghanistan holding a slight upper hand given their explosive batting lineup and disciplined bowling attack. Key players like Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rashid Khan continue to be match-winners for Afghanistan, with the former providing quick starts at the top and the latter controlling the middle overs with his world-class leg-spin. Zimbabwe’s strength lies in their experienced campaigners such as Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams, both capable of stabilizing innings and impacting matches with either bat or ball. Strategically, Zimbabwe will rely heavily on their spin duo to contain Afghanistan’s aggressive hitters and will look to their openers to build solid foundations. Afghanistan’s plan likely revolves around aggressive top-order batting and leveraging Rashid Khan’s strategic bowling to choke runs in the middle powerplay and death overs. Considering home advantage but factoring Afghanistan’s superior recent international form and depth in skills, the winning probability slightly favors Afghanistan in this match. #### AI suggested match winner Zimbabwe: 45%, Afghanistan: 55%

If Zimbabwe bat first, a competitive total of around 160-170 runs is expected, considering the pitch tends to offer some assistance to spinners making boundary-scoring challenging. Their experienced middle order should capitalize on the platform built by the openers. Conversely, if Afghanistan bat first, they could post a slightly higher total of 165-175, given their aggressive thumpers and ability to exploit powerplay overs effectively. The Harare Sports Club pitch generally slows down slightly as the innings progresses, so the team batting first might have a slight edge in setting a challenging score.

The pitch at Harare Sports Club is traditionally a slow-to-medium pace surface that favors spin bowlers especially in the mid-to-late overs of the game. The average first-innings score in T20s here hovers around 160 runs. Chasing teams have had moderate success with a win percentage near 48%, reflecting a balanced contest between bat and ball. Weather-wise, conditions are expected to be clear and dry with temperatures around 27°C at match time, ideal for a full game. Best bowler on this ground between the two teams is Afghanistan's Rashid Khan, who has taken multiple wickets economically. The best batsman to have performed at this venue recently is Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, who scored a vital 78* in their last T20 here. The record partnership for either team on this ground stands at 120 runs for the second wicket by Afghanistan's top order.

Matches Played	Zimbabwe Wins	Afghanistan Wins
12	4	8

Team Recent Performance

Team	Last 5 T20 Matches
Zimbabwe	W, L, L, W, W
Afghanistan	W, W, L, W, W

Rahmanullah Gurbaz: The Afghanistan opener has been in fine form, providing electric starts with quick-fire 30+ scores in the last few T20s, crucial in setting the momentum early.

Rashid Khan: Consistently lethal, Rashid continues to bamboozle batsmen with his variations, averaging under 20 runs per wicket and maintaining an economy rate close to 6.

Naveen-ul-Haq: An improving fast bowler for Afghanistan, known for crucial breakthroughs, recently averaging 1.8 wickets per game in the shortest format.

Sikandar Raza: Zimbabwe’s all-rounder had a brilliant recent outing at Harare with a match-winning 78* and has been pivotal in middle-order stability for Zimbabwe.

Sean Williams: The experienced Zimbabwe middle-order batsman and left-arm spinner brings balance to the side, having scored handy runs and contributed with key overs of spin late in innings.

Brendan Taylor: The seasoned Zimbabwe player, providing calmness and experience at the top of the order in tricky situations, making him vital in home conditions.