Afghanistan Beat Zimbabwe by 7 Wickets, Seal T20I Series 3-0

Afghanistan sealed a 3-0 victory in the T20 series against Zimbabwe after a seven-wicket win in the third match on Sunday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

The hosts had already won the first game by 37 runs and the second by 19 runs. The third match gave them a clean sweep of the series.

After Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat, they managed only 79 runs in 14.3 overs. Innocent Kaia was out for 5 when the score was 8, and three wickets fell by 13 runs. The visitors struggled throughout the innings.

Ryan Burl and Wesley Madhevere added 43 runs for the fourth wicket in 39 balls, lifting Zimbabwe past 50. However, three wickets fell in the 11th over, and the innings did not recover.

Burl made 30 and Madhevere scored 10, the only two batters to reach double figures. Noor Ahmad was the best bowler for Afghanistan, finishing with five wickets for 13 runs. Abdullah Tarakhel took two wickets.

Afghanistan reached the target in 8.1 overs. Ibrahim Zadran and Mohammad Akram scored 15 runs together, and Akram was dismissed for 14. Zadran and Sediqullah Atal added 29 runs for the second wicket, taking the total to 44.

Atal and Noor ul Rahman were dismissed in the fifth over. Zadran, who finished on 25 not out, and Azmatullah Omarzai, unbeaten on 18, shared an unbroken 37-run partnership in 19 balls to complete the win.

Ernest Masuku took two wickets for Zimbabwe, while Blessing Muzarabani took one.

The two teams will now shift their focus to a two-match Test series, which begins on November 5.