Teen Ghazanfar takes 5-33 as Afghanistan win ODI series

HARARE: Teenage spinner Allah Ghazanfar took five for 33 as Afghanistan overwhelmed Zimbabwe by eight wickets on Saturday for a 2-0 one-day international series win.

The 18-year-old followed up a six-wicket haul against Bangladesh last month with a man-of-the-match show in Harare as the tourists crushed the hosts for the second time in three days.

The opening ODI in the three-match series was washed out on Tuesday.

Zimbabwe were put in to bat by Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi and, with the exception of veteran Sean Williams, who made 60 from 61 balls, flopped to be all out of 127.

Sediqullah Atal, fresh from a maiden ODI century on Thursday, top-scored with 52 as Afghanistan cruised to 131 for two in just 26.5 overs and completed a white-ball double after a Twenty20 series win.

Ghazanfar then got two more back to back, almost in identical fashion. He cleaned up both left-hand batters Tadiwanashe Marumani and Wellington Masakadza in the one over, the 19th of the innings, and each time, going around the wicket, the carrom ball fi the trick.

Both batters swung across the line, and left a big gap between bat and pad for the ball to hit the off stump. On the hat-trick ball, Ghazanfar beat Newman Nyamhuri on the outside edge, with Shahidi placing as many as three slips for the right-hander.

Williams, meanwhile, continued ticking at the other end even as he kept running out of partners.

He whacked Rashid for four over midwicket, and slogged him for six over square leg, while Ghazanfar completed his five-for by having Nyamhuri top-edging to slip in between.

Williams added 30 for the ninth wicket with Ngarava, and brought up his 36th ODI fifty when he hammered debutant seamer Bilal Sami to deep backward point. Williams had also bashed birthday boy Sami for a four and six off consecutive balls in the 14th over.

But when going for a reverse sweep against Rashid in the 28th, Williams ended up tickling one to slip, where Mohammad Nabi caught him. Zimbabwe’s innings lasted only another 15 balls, in which Ngarava and Trevor Gwandu added eight runs.

The defeat capped off a year in which Zimbabwe’s collective batting average was at its lowest at 14.22 (with a minimum of nine batting innings).

It was the seventh ODI series triumph for Afghanistan over Zimbabwe with one drawn.

“It is wonderful to see youngsters like Allah coming into the team and making such a big impact,” Shahidi told reporters.

“Allah is doing very well for the team and, hopefully, he can maintain this momentum and bowl well going forward.”

Wreaking havoc with his off-break deliveries, Ghazanfar continued a memorable year in which he was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad that won the Indian Premier League.

Star leg spinner Rashid Khan also tormented the hosts, taking three for 38 as the fragility of the Zimbabwe batters was exposed again. They were all out for 54 two days ago.

Williams, whose 61-ball knock included three sixes and six fours, was among only three Zimbabweans to reach double figures.

The top Zimbabwe scorer departed when his reverse sweep shot off Khan was caught by 39-year-old Mohammed Nabi at first slip.

Atal and Abdul Malik put on 84 for the first wicket before both fell in the space of 10 balls, leaving Shahidi (20 not out) to seal victory with 139 balls to spare.

A brilliant catch at deep extra cover by Brian Bennett spelt the end for Atal.

Earlier, Malik got an inside edge to a Richard Ngarava delivery, which uprooted his leg stump.

The teams now move to southern city Bulawayo for a two-Test series, with the first starting on December 26.

Brief scores

Zimbabwe 127 in 30.1 overs (S.Williams 60; Allah Ghazanfar 5-33, Rashid Khan 3-38) v Afghanistan 131-2 in 26.5 overs (Sediqullah Atal 52, Abdul Malik 29, Hashmatullah Shahidi 20 not out)

Result: Afghanistan win by eight wickets

Series: Afghanistan win 2-0

Toss: Afghanistan.