ZIM vs AFG 1st T20I Match Prediction: Who Will Win Today’s 1st T20I Match Between ZIM And AFG?

ZIM vs AFG 1st T20I Match Prediction [Source: @ZimCricketv/x]

Zimbabwe and Afghanistan teams will square-off in the series-opening first T20I match on Wednesday, December 11. The much-awaited contest will be hosted by the Harare Sports Club and the action is slated to commence from 5:00 PM IST onwards.

Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwean cricket team lost its recent three-match home series to Pakistan by a 1-2 margin. However, a win over the ‘Men in Green’ in a dead-rubber earlier this week will likely place them in good stead ahead of the series against Afghanistan. Tadiwanashe Marumani and captain Sikandar Raza have emerged as some of Zimbabwe’s leading run-getters with the bat off late. Richard Ngarava, on the other hand, has ably helmed Zimbabwe’s pace attack in the past few games.

Afghanistan

The Afghanistan team will be making its return to the T20I lore through the upcoming series for the first time since the conclusion of the 2024 T20 World Cup back in June this year. Led by Rashid Khan, the travelling Afghanistan bunch is glittered with a presence of numerous match-winning all-rounders, including captain Rashid himself alongside senior man Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai and Karim Janat. As a batter, Rahmanullah Gurbaz will start out as one of the players to watch out for.

ZIM vs AFG Head-to-Head Records in T20Is

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How Will The Harare Pitch Behave?

The playing surface at the Harare Sports Club tends to assist batters, with something on offer for fast bowlers with the new ball. The average first innings total at the venue in the last eight T20I matches has turned out to be a competitive 163. Considering the recent results, the captain winning the toss will likely opt to bat first.

Players To Watch Out For In ZIM vs AFG 1st T20I

Zimbabwe

Tadiwanashe Marumani

Young top-order batter Tadiwanashe Marumani has made 339 runs in his past 10 T20I matches at an astronomical strike rate of 176.56.

Sikandar Raza

A blistering lower-order batter and a cunning right-arm spinner, Sikandar Raza will be helming Zimbabwe’s leadership responsibility in the series. A veteran of 261 T20 matches including 99 internationals, the cricketer has tallied over 5,000 runs and 158 wickets in the format.

Richard Ngarava

Fast bowler Richard Ngarava holds an impressive economy rate of 7.06 in his T20I career. In his past 10 appearances, the 26-year-old has snapped 12 wickets with an even better economy of 6.21.

Ryan Burl

Ryan Burl holds a staggering strike rate of nearly 130 in T20s. The star all-rounder is also capable of sending down a few quality overs with the ball, and he holds an economy of less than seven in the game’s international arena.

Afghanistan

Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Rahmanullah Gurbaz has cracked 290 runs in his last 10 matches at a strike rate of 121.84. Overall, the attacking wicketkeeper-batter has hauled 1,657 runs in 63 innings with 10 fifties and a century.

Mohammad Nabi

Ageing all-rounder Mohammad Nabi remains one of the most cogent forces in Afghanistan’s white-ball line-up. A veteran of over 400 T20 matches, the 39-year-old has bagged 360 wickets and has scored his near 6,000 runs with a strike-rate of 135.

Rashid Khan

Legendary T20 all-rounder Rashid Khan has more than 600 wickets to his name. Regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of the format, Rashid also holds a clobbering T20 strike rate of nearly 150 with the bat.

Fazalhaq Farooqi

Fazalhaq Farooqi has snagged 19 wickets in his past 10 T20I matches with a bowling strike rate of just 10.21. Overall, he has collected 133 wickets in 102 innings.

Today's Match Prediction: ZIM vs AFG 1st T20I

Predicted Top Performers

Zimbabwe – Sikandar Raza, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Richard Ngarava

Afghanistan – Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Fazalhaq Farooqi

ZIM vs AFG 1st T20I: Predicted Score

Predicted first innings score: 165-180
Predicted second innings score: 140-155

Predicted Result: The team batting first will likely have an edge in this match.

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