Ngarava, Bennett, and Musekiwa set up a thrilling Zimbabwe win
Ngarava, Bennett, and Musekiwa set up a thrilling Zimbabwe win A 13-ball over from Naveen-ul-Haq and a dramatic final over where Tashinga Musekiwa found the boundary and sprinted between the wickets gave Zimbabwe a thrilling last-ball win in the opening T20I against Afghanistan.
With Zimbabwe chasing 145, parsimonious spells from Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan and a four-run 18th over from Mujeeb Ur Rahman reduced the equation from 60 off 42 balls to 21 off 12. But ten came off Naveen's final over and Azmatullah Omarzai's variations in pace and length could not deny ten in the final over.
Musekiwa hit a slower slot ball over Cow Corner and almost cleared the fence with the first ball of the 20th. Then he ran three twos, and with the scores all level and the field all up for the last ball, he drove straight of mid-off to let loose celebrations with his partner in front of a packed Harare crowd.
The tension went up and down in the last seven overs, started by a quicker ball from Mohammad Nabi, and a miscued slog was found by the well-set Dion Myers. It broke a 75-run stand between Myers and Brian Bennett and took the asking rate over nine runs an over.
Naveen returned for an over that did not quite go according to plan. His wide yorker was his go-to plan, and five of the first eight balls came back as wides apart from a high full toss that Sikandar Raza flayed over short third for four. When he went full and wide again, Raza went across to lash the ball down the ground before a slower ball finally dismissed the Zimbabwe captain, whose innings only lasted five legal balls.
Rashid, who hadn't been nearly as potent in his first three overs, saw off the well-set Bennett with a slider for 49 before getting Ryan Burl to mistime a pull to deep backward square leg. But neither his nor Mujeeb's stump-to-stump bowling was enough to halt Zimbabwe from getting home.
The chase started when Zimbabwe was in trouble against Naveen who took a maiden over before cramped Tadiwanashe Marumani for space on the pull.
But Naveen dropped Bennett on 8 off Azmatullah Omarzai in the fifth over. Rashid introduced himself in the final over of the powerplay but could not keep a lid on the scoring. He erred short and wide (both off and leg-side) to Myers, who picked up two fours.
The couple added but a few quiet overs placed the asking rate up nine. They took a boundary off each of Fareed Ahmad's first two overs and Myers deposited another Rashid long-hop over long-on in the 12th. Bennett continued the charge with two fours off Omarzai before Nabi intervened and set up a rollercoaster finish.
Earlier, Rashid had no problem batting first. Rahmanullah Gurbaz wanted to get the early initiative but was undone by Richard Ngarava's extra bounce off the third ball of the match. Sediqullah Atal was given a chance by Wessly Madhevere in the third over but fell in the next trying to heave Trevor Gwandu over mid-on.
Hazratullah Zazai began well, cutting Ngarava through point in the first over and then launching Bennett down the ground in the third before holing out off Blessing Muzarabani.
Omarzai and Karim Janat reduced the probability post-powerplay but made a four each off Raza to take the game back into run-a-ball again. He then attempted to hit Wellington Masakadza over the boundary and was caught at long-on.
Nabi came in with Afghanistan at 58 for 5 in the 11th over and added to his batting along with Janat. It was a bit of a scratchy start but was helped out by the sloppy fielding of Zimbabwe. Burl's misfield at long-off turned two into three in the 12th over while Muzarabani lost track of the ball to give Janat the first of two boundaries in the next.
Nabi started to hit the gaps to get some risk-free twos before targeting the returning Ngarava in the 16th over. Two boundaries took Afghanistan past 100 with four overs to go. Nabi began the death overs by taking down Gwandu for six and three fours, the last of which came about via another fielding lapse.
Janat and Nabi added 79 off 49 before Ngarava dismissed Nabi in a seven-run 19th over. Janat, anchoring the innings, ended on 54 not out off 49 balls, and he and Rashid couldn't put Gwandu down for a boundary in the final over.
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