Zimbabwe v Afghanistan 5th ODI preview: Both teams vie for a series win

Zimbabwe v Afghanistan 5th ODI preview: Both teams vie for a series win: Zimbabwe and Afghanistan will go head to head in the 5th ODI with an aim to claim the ODI series at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo on Saturday.

Zimbabwe will look forward to winning their second consecutive ODI series after beating Ireland 2-1 before coming into the series. Whereas, Afghanistan will try to create history by winning their first series against a Test playing nation.

Zimbabwe:

In the last game, Zimbabwe had succumbed to the skilful and disciplined Afghanistan bowling.

Their batting looked very fragile. Richmond Mutumbami, the only top order batsman in the team who played with some resilience in the series failed dreadfully in the last match. It’s after effects were visible as Zimbabwe tumbled down to an under par score of 184.

Had it not been for Sikandar Raza’s gritty 86, Zimbabwe would have not even reached 100. They had stumbled to 82 for 6 before Raza and Luke Jongwe came to the rescue and stitched together a recovery with their 65-run partnership.

Zimbabwe lacks a strong core. Once their openers are gone, the rest of the batsmen look as if just waiting to get out and return to the pavilion. Their middle order, in general, is very brittle which can fall apart anytime. The batsmen have to stand up to the challenge and perform well.

Bowling has not been a worry for them. Pacers have bowled decently. Thankfully, the frontline spinners, T. Chisoro, who made his debut in this series and W. Masakadza, have fared well. Both are also the highest wicket takers in this series with 9 and 7 wickets to their name respectively.

Zimbabwe will have to battle hard if they want to win the series as Afghanistan has shown them that they are not an easy team to overhaul.

Afghanistan:

Afghanistan has been very impressive in this series. Their batsman have taken up the responsibility. However, they have also been a bit inconsistent sometimes. Their top order has done very well. Openers Noor Ali Zadran (148) and Mohd, Shahzad (150) along with Mohammed Nabi (170) are the leading run scorers of the series. Afghani fans would expect them to be at their best during the last ODI.

In the middle order, Nawroz Mangal continues to be a worry for Afghanistan while Captain Asghar Stanikzai and all-rounder Shamiullah Shenwari have been satisfactory.

If Afghanistan sorts out its middle order problems then they are more likely to win the last match easily.

They don’t have a lot of things to worry bowling wise as their bowlers have been superior to their Zimbabwean counterparts. Pacers Dawlat Zadran and Amir Hamza are also in good rhythm and have troubled the opposition continuously.

Spinners have also supported the fast bowlers. Young leg spinner Rashid Khan has taken 5 wickets  while left-arm spinner Amir Hamza is the best Afghanistan bowler in this series with 6 wickets in his pockets. Both will surely try to create an impact on the Zimbabwe batsmen.

Last 5 matches –

Zimbabwe: L W L W L
Afghanistan: W L W L L

Squads:

Zimbabwe:

Elton Chigumbura (c), Brian Chari, Chamu Chibhabha, Tendai Chisoro, Craig Ervine, Luke Jongwe, Neville Madziva, Wellington Masakadza, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Richmond Mutumbami (wk), Taurai Muzarabani, John Nyumbu, Tinashe Panyangara, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams.

Afghanistan:

Asghar Stanikzai (c), Aftab Alam, Amir Hamza, Dawlat Zadran, Fareed Ahmad, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mirwais Ashraf, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Najibullah Zadran, Nawroz Mangal, Noor Ali Zadran, Samiullah Shenwari, Shafiqullah, Shapoor Zadran.