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Afghanistan Win, SMAT Semis And Shaheen’s Comments – December 13 Cricket Highlights

Aakash Saini

Afghanistan and Shaheen Afridi with Babar Azam [Source: @ACBofficials, @CricCrazyJohns/x]Afghanistan and Shaheen Afridi with Babar Azam [Source: @ACBofficials, @CricCrazyJohns/x]

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Afghanistan secured an emphatic series-levelling win against Zimbabwe at Harare. In India, Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh set up an exciting finale for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 season while in South Africa, Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi took an indirect dig at teammates Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan over the importance of strike rates in T20I cricket.

Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest news that emerged out of Friday, December 13.

Rashid Khan Skittles Zimbabwe As Afghanistan Levels Series

The Afghanistan cricket team levelled its three-match series against Zimbabwe with a 50-run win in the second T20I at the Harare Sports Club. Batting first, the visitors hauled 153-6 from 20 overs courtesy of a fluent 42-ball 58 from Darwish Rasooli. Azmatullah Omarzai and Gulbadin Naib also belted swift 20s each after Afghanistan crashed to 33-3 at one stage of the match.

In the run-chase, Naveen-ul-Haq and Rashid Khan picked up three wickets each to fold up Zimbabwe for just 103 in 17.4 overs. Mujeeb Ur Rahman also claimed two crucial wickets to wreck Zimbabwe’s middle-order. With series now tied at 1-1, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan will now square off in the decider on December 14 at the same venue.

Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh Set Up SMAT 2024 Finals

Mumbai chased down Baroda’s 158-run total by six wickets and with 16 balls to spare in the first semifinal of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 season. Senior man Ajinkya Rahane hogged the limelight with the bat in the run-chase by clobbering 11 boundaries and five sixes in his 56-ball 98-run knock. Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer also cracked a swift 30-ball 46 in Bengaluru.

Later in the day at the same venue, Rajat Patidar played a captain’s knock for Madhya Pradesh with 66* from just 29 balls against Delhi. Patidar’s whirlwind innings helped Madhya Pradesh secure a seven-wicket win with more than four overs to spare in the knockout fixture. Madhya Pradesh, gunning for their maiden SMAT title, will now face Indian domestic giants Mumbai in the final on December 15.

Shaheen Afridi’s Indirect Jibe At Babar Azam, Rizwan

Pakistan pace maverick Shaheen Afridi took an indirect dig at teammates Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan over ‘modern-day batting strike rate in T20Is’. While speaking with the media ahead of Pakistan’s second T20I match against South Africa at Centurion, Shaheen said that one must maintain a strike rate around the 150 or 160 range to compete in modern-day cricket.

Notably, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan brought up a half-century from 50 balls against South Africa in the series-opener a couple of days ago, scoring 74 runs in all from 62 balls as the ‘Men in Green’ crashed to an 11-run defeat. While Rizwan holds an overall T20I strike rate of just 125.57, Babar Azam holds just a tad above 129 in the format.

Amir Jangoo Marks ODI Cricket’s Fastest Century By Debutants

West Indies cricketer Amir Jangoo clobbered six boundaries and four sixes in his thunderous 104* from just 83 balls against Bangladesh at St Kitts. Making his international debut through the match, Jangoo’s knock helped West Indies mow down Bangladesh’s monumental 322-run total to claim the three-match series by a 3-0 margin.

Notching up his century in just 80 balls, the innings also marked the fastest-ever century in ODI cricket by a debutant, bettering South Africa’s Reeza Hendricks’ 89-ball effort back in August 2018 against Sri Lanka.

BCCI Announce India Women’s Squad For WI ODIs, T20Is

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled India Women’s squads for the upcoming T20I and ODI series against the visiting West Indies team. Following a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign in the UAE and a humiliating ODI series defeat in Australia, Harmanpreet Kaur is set to continue as the ‘Women in Blue’ skipper in the impending white-ball fixtures at home. Key players like Yastika Bhatia, Shreyanka Patil and Priya Punia were sidelined from the squads owing to injuries.

The T20I series between India and West Indies will be played from December 15 till December 19 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Each of the three ODI fixtures, meanwhile, will be hosted by the IPCL Sports Complex Ground in Vadodara.