Chevrons suffer heavy defeat

Eddie Chikamhi

Zimpapers Sports Hub

ZIMBABWE national cricket team captain Craig Ervine believes a thorough introspection is in order following a humiliating 232-run defeat to Afghanistan in the second One Day International at the Harare Sports Club.

The Chevrons equalled their lowest-ever ODI total against Afghanistan when they got bowled out for a meagre 54 runs while chasing a hefty target of 287.

The visitors needed just 17.5 overs to complete the job and lead the three-match series 1-0. The first game produced no result after rain forced a premature abandonment at the same venue on Tuesday.

But yesterday the Chevrons won the toss and sent the visitors in to bat first under sunny conditions. The Afghans showed composure earlier on to post 286/6 in their 50 overs in the bowler-friendly conditions.

In response, the home team’s chase never got going.

Only Sikandar Raza (19 not out) and Sean Williams (16) managed double figures for Zimbabwe.

Their struggles manifested from the beginning with the unfortunate run-out of new boy Ben Curran, who had opened the innings with Tadiwanashe Marumani.

From then on, things just went south for Zimbabwe’s batsmen, and Ervine was concerned in his post-match press conference.

“I thought the pitch played a bit better than the previous game,” said Ervine.

“We just wanted to set a platform.

“We’ve got to go back to the drawing board, and I don’t think we showed a good account of ourselves, and we need to assess our performances and see if we can come up with a solution for the next game.

“Afghanistan bowlers were very skilful. But we didn’t show ourselves to be 50 all out,” said Ervine.

For Afghanistan, this was a good day in the office as it was their biggest win in ODIs in terms of runs.

Their captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, was over the moon.

“We are feeling very proud and happy, very impressed with the way the openers batted. The credit goes to them. We outclassed them in all departments.

“When I was also batting, the wicket was a bit tricky. I thought it was enough runs, but we had to work hard for the win. We gave our 100 percent, and we did well.

“Our team performance is going up day by day. Everyone takes responsibility, and everyone knows their roles. We want to carry on with this performance.

“We have in mind that we will play Champions, so we want to be prepared for that,” he said.

Afghanistan built their win on the foundation of a 191-run opening stand between Sediqullah Atal (104) and Abdul Malik (84).

It was left to teenage sensation Newman Nyamhuri, playing for the first time, to lead the fightback, as he broke the mammoth opening partnership in the 35th over with a cleverly disguised slower ball that bowled Malik for 84 off 101 balls, a knock that included 11 fours and one six.

Nyamhuri struck again soon after, removing Azmatullah Omarzai for five.

His most significant breakthrough came when he dismissed Atal, who had anchored Afghanistan’s innings with a well-compiled century of 104 off 128 balls, with eight fours and four sixes.

Atal’s attempt to slice a wide delivery ended in a catch at deep third man, handing Nyamhuri his third wicket and a well-deserved cheer from the home crowd. Nyamhuri finished with figures of 3/53.

“He was very impressive. He is a bright kid for the future. Hopefully, he can continue to do well,” said Ervine.

Trevor Gwandu provided additional support, picking up Razmat Shah for one, but Afghanistan’s middle order accelerated in the final overs to post a formidable 286 for six.

Gwandu finished with figures of two for 70, while Nyamhuri’s three for 53 stood out as Zimbabwe’s brightest highlight.

Sikandar Raza bowled eight overs in a row for 34 runs, where he troubled the batters with his variations but ended the spell wicket-less.

Chasing a steep target of 287, Zimbabwe’s innings unravelled almost immediately, as Curran’s run out for a duck in the opening over — a result of a risky call for a single — set a grim tone.

Marumani (3) fell soon after, edging behind, while Dion Myers (1) and captain Craig Ervine (4) followed, leaving Zimbabwe staggering at 11 for four within the first five overs.

Sean Williams (16) and Raza tried to halt the inevitable with a fleeting 21-run partnership for the fifth wicket, but Afghanistan’s bowlers maintained relentless pressure.

AM Ghazanfar’s deceptive carrom ball breached Williams’ defence with the score at 32, before the final five wickets tumbled for just nine runs in the space of 18 balls.

Zimbabwe were bundled out for 54 in 17.5 overs — their fourth-lowest total in ODI history and equalling their lowest against Afghanistan, a record dating back to 2017.

Afghanistan’s bowlers delivered a masterclass, led by Ghazanfar with three for 11 and Naveed Zadran with three for 15.

The series concludes on Saturday at the same venue, where Zimbabwe will need to regroup and secure a victory to share the spoils after the first match was washed out.

Scorecard summary:

Afghanistan won by 232 runs.

Afghanistan: 286-6 in 50 overs (Sediqullah Atal 104, Abdul Malik 84, Hashmatullah Shahidi 29*; Newman Nyamhuri 3/53, Trevor Gwandu 2/70, Richard Ngarava 1/49)

Zimbabwe: 54 all out in 17.5 overs (Sikandar Raza 19*, Sean Williams 16, Richard Ngarava 8; AM Ghazanfar 3/9, Naveed Zadran 3/13, Fazalhaq Farooqi 2/15)