In an exciting Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe Test match, the Afghanistan side scored 105 runs to defeat the visitors, Zimbabwe. Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmat Shah and Rashid Khan had great games to help Afghanistan win the match. In their second innings, Afghanistan set a challenging 316 runs target, but Zimbabwe was beaten inside two days for 210 runs and lost by an innings.
The main highlight of the match was Rashid Khan’s 9 wickets with the ball, which proved to be Afghanistan’s strength in the aspect of spin bowling. A complete breakdown of the match, including the Afghanistan national team vs Zimbabwe national team scorecard and full match analysis.
Afghanistan National Cricket Team Vs Zimbabwe National Cricket Team Match Scorecard Details
| Match | Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe (One-Off Test) |
| Date | February 2 – February 6, 2025 |
| Venue | Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi |
| Toss | Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat |
| Match Result | Afghanistan won by 105 runs |
| Man of the Match | Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) |
| Umpires | Richard Illingworth, Langton Rusere |
| Match Referee | Andy Pycroft |
Afghanistan National Team VS Zimbabwe National Team Scorecard: Overview
The one off Test match between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe was at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. After winning the toss, Afghanistan elected to bat and put in a powerful performance in opening up with their top order. Afghanistan wasted little time as they bowled Zimbabwe out of the match. Afghanistan set a tough target in the second innings after extending their lead.
Rashid Khan’s spin magic had dismantled Zimbabwe’s batting lineup and faltered the country’s chase. This win of 105 runs is a historic one for Afghanistan. While falling short in both innings, Zimbabwe nonetheless fought back with their fighting spirit but this match also put on display how Afghanistan have established themselves as a well-balanced Test side.
Afghanistan 1st Innings: 157 All Out (44.3 Overs)
| Batsman | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | Dismissal |
| Abdul Malik | 17 | 36 | 1 | 0 | 47.22 | c †Gumbie b Nyamhuri |
| Riaz Hassan | 12 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 38.70 | run out (Bennett) |
| Rahmat Shah | 19 | 64 | 3 | 0 | 29.68 | b Sikandar Raza |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi (c) | 13 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 43.33 | lbw b Nyamhuri |
| Afsar Zazai † | 16 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 66.66 | c Kaitano b Ngarava |
| Shahidullah | 12 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 60.00 | c †Gumbie b Muzarabani |
| Ismat Alam | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | b Sikandar Raza |
| Rashid Khan | 25 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 125.00 | c Bennett b Muzarabani |
| Zia-ur-Rehman | 8 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 | not out |
| Yamin Ahmadzai | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 | b Sikandar Raza |
| Fareed Ahmad | 17 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 89.47 | c Bennett b Nyamhuri |
| Extras | 16 | (b 2, lb 9, nb 2, w 3) | ||||
| Total | 157 all out | 44.3 overs | RR: 3.52 |
Bowling Performance
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ECON | WD | NB |
| Richard Ngarava | 12 | 4 | 18 | 1 | 1.50 | 0 | 0 |
| Blessing Muzarabani | 12 | 2 | 56 | 2 | 4.66 | 3 | 0 |
| Newman Nyamhuri | 8.3 | 2 | 42 | 3 | 4.94 | 0 | 2 |
| Sikandar Raza | 12 | 2 | 30 | 3 | 2.50 | 0 | 0 |
Zimbabwe 1st Innings: 243 All Out (73.3 Overs)
- Top Scorers:
- Craig Ervine (75 runs, 165 balls)
- Sikandar Raza (61 runs, 104 balls)
- Sean Williams (49 runs, 52 balls)
- Best Bowlers (AFG):
- Rashid Khan (4/94)
- Yamin Ahmadzai (3/62)
Batting Performance
| Batsman | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | Dismissal |
| Innocent Kaia | 9 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 39.13 | c Afsar Zazai b Yamin Ahmadzai |
| Takudzwanashe Kaitano | 18 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 42.85 | b Zia-ur-Rehman |
| Craig Ervine (c) | 75 | 165 | 8 | 1 | 45.45 | lbw b Rashid Khan |
| Ben Curran | 15 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 38.46 | c Hashmatullah b Yamin Ahmadzai |
| Sean Williams | 49 | 52 | 7 | 1 | 94.23 | c Riaz Hassan b Rashid Khan |
| Sikandar Raza | 61 | 104 | 5 | 2 | 58.65 | b Rashid Khan |
| Clive Madande † | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | b Zia-ur-Rehman |
| Wellington Masakadza | 2 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14.28 | c Afsar Zazai b Rashid Khan |
| Richard Ngarava | 7 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 38.88 | c Hashmatullah b Yamin Ahmadzai |
| Blessing Muzarabani | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 42.85 | not out |
| Newman Nyamhuri | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | b Yamin Ahmadzai |
| Extras | 4 | (b 1, lb 3) | ||||
| Total | 243 all out | 73.3 overs | RR: 3.30 |
Fall of Wickets
1-27 (Kaia)
2-42 (Kaitano)
3-73 (Curran)
4-136 (Williams)
5-202 (Ervine)
6-202 (Madande)
7-206 (Masakadza)
8-233 (Raza)
9-243 (Ngarava)
10-243 (Nyamhuri)
Bowling Performance (Afghanistan)
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ECON |
| Yamin Ahmadzai | 14.3 | 3 | 62 | 4 | 4.27 |
| Zia-ur-Rehman | 12 | 3 | 44 | 2 | 3.66 |
| Rashid Khan | 22 | 4 | 94 | 4 | 4.27 |
| Fareed Ahmad | 10 | 1 | 27 | 0 | 2.70 |
| Ismat Alam | 7 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 2.14 |
| Rahmat Shah | 8 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 2.12 |
Afghanistan 2nd Innings: 315 All Out (92.2 Overs)
Batting Performance
| Batsman | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | Dismissal |
| Ibrahim Zadran | 42 | 98 | 6 | 0 | 42.85 | c Madande b Ngarava |
| Riaz Hassan | 21 | 56 | 2 | 0 | 37.50 | b Muzarabani |
| Rahmat Shah | 67 | 124 | 10 | 0 | 54.03 | b Masakadza |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi (c) | 85 | 172 | 12 | 0 | 49.41 | c Kaitano b Raza |
| Afsar Zazai † | 19 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 54.28 | b Muzarabani |
| Mohammad Nabi | 14 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 48.27 | b Raza |
| Rashid Khan | 32 | 47 | 4 | 1 | 68.08 | b Muzarabani |
| Yamin Ahmadzai | 10 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 41.66 | b Raza |
| Zia-ur-Rehman | 8 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 61.53 | b Ngarava |
| Fareed Ahmad | 9 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 60.00 | b Muzarabani |
| Ismat Alam | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | not out |
| Extras | 8 | (b 2, lb 4, nb 2) | ||||
| Total | 315 all out | 92.2 overs | RR: 3.41 |
Fall of Wickets
1-45 (Riaz Hassan)
2-89 (Ibrahim Zadran)
3-192 (Rahmat Shah)
4-215 (Afsar Zazai)
5-233 (Mohammad Nabi)
6-265 (Rashid Khan)
7-275 (Ahmadzai)
8-287 (Zia-ur-Rehman)
9-308 (Fareed Ahmad)
10-315 (Hashmatullah Shahidi)
Bowling Performance (Zimbabwe)
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ECON |
| Blessing Muzarabani | 22.2 | 6 | 67 | 4 | 3.00 |
| Richard Ngarava | 20 | 5 | 74 | 2 | 3.70 |
| Wellington Masakadza | 15 | 3 | 52 | 1 | 3.46 |
| Sean Williams | 11 | 1 | 35 | 0 | 3.18 |
| Sikandar Raza | 24 | 4 | 74 | 3 | 3.08 |
Zimbabwe 2nd Innings: 210 All Out (68.4 Overs)
Batting Performance
| Batsman | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | Dismissal |
| Innocent Kaia | 23 | 61 | 3 | 0 | 37.70 | lbw b Rashid Khan |
| Takudzwanashe Kaitano | 17 | 38 | 2 | 0 | 44.73 | c Hashmatullah b Yamin Ahmadzai |
| Craig Ervine (c) | 36 | 87 | 4 | 0 | 41.37 | lbw b Zia-ur-Rehman |
| Ben Curran | 8 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 47.05 | b Rashid Khan |
| Sean Williams | 27 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 77.14 | c Zazai b Yamin Ahmadzai |
| Sikandar Raza | 46 | 72 | 5 | 1 | 63.88 | c Rahmat Shah b Rashid Khan |
| Clive Madande † | 11 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 37.93 | b Zia-ur-Rehman |
| Wellington Masakadza | 10 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 47.61 | b Rashid Khan |
| Richard Ngarava | 15 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 78.94 | c Riaz Hassan b Ahmadzai |
| Blessing Muzarabani | 5 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 55.55 | not out |
| Newman Nyamhuri | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | b Rashid Khan |
| Extras | 12 | (b 2, lb 3, nb 2, w 5) | ||||
| Total | 210 all out | 68.4 overs | RR: 3.05 |
Fall of Wickets
1-38 (Kaitano)
2-52 (Kaia)
3-69 (Curran)
4-108 (Williams)
5-157 (Ervine)
6-174 (Madande)
7-194 (Masakadza)
8-203 (Raza)
9-210 (Ngarava)
10-210 (Nyamhuri)
Bowling Performance (Afghanistan)
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | ECON |
| Yamin Ahmadzai | 14 | 3 | 44 | 3 | 3.14 |
| Zia-ur-Rehman | 12 | 3 | 35 | 2 | 2.91 |
| Rashid Khan | 21.4 | 5 | 79 | 5 | 3.64 |
| Fareed Ahmad | 9 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 3.11 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 8 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 2.37 |
| Rahmat Shah | 4 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 2.50 |
Match Review and Key Highlights
- In the match, Rashid Khan bagged as many as 11 wickets (4/94 & 7/66) both with the ball and the bat.
- During the second innings, Afghanistan scored a competitive target with Rahmat Shah playing an outstanding knock of 139 runs.
- Afghanistan, with Ismat Alam scoring 101 runs, are now in a strong position.
- Afghanistan were restricted to 274 before Muzarabani took six wickets.
- But in the second innings, Rashid Khan’s spin drove Zimbabwe to the sword and there was some resistance.
Conclusion
Afghanistan won a convincing 105 run victory in an exciting Test against Zimbabwe. Hashmatullah Shahidi (85) and Rahmat Shah (67) put together a competitive total with their contributions to Afghanistan’s batting. Rashid Khan’s superb bowling helped him tear through Zimbabwe’s batting with 5 (2nd innings) & 9 (the match) wickets.
Regardless, it was a close call for Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza (46) as the team chased 316 runs. It was a big victory for a growing Afghanistan in Test cricket but for Zimbabwe, a step forward will be needed in the coming matches. That’s all about Afghanistan national cricket team vs Zimbabwe national cricket team match scorecard.
FAQ
Ans. Among the highest runs scored in the second innings was Hashmatullah Shahidi 85 runs (Afghanistan).
Ans. A fine knock from Sarfaraz Ahmad (Afghanistan) helped Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) take 9 wickets in the match, 5 in the second innings.
Ans. In the second innings, Afghanistan wanted 316 runs from Zimbabwe to target.
Ans. In the second innings, 46 runs for Zimbabwe were scored by Sikandar Raza.
Also, Read About:
