ZIM vs AFG | 3rd ODI | Preview, Prediction, Probable XI, CREX XI

Zimbabwe will come up against Afghanistan in the 3rd ODI of the 3-match ODI series on Thursday (June 9th) at Harare Sports Club. 

Zimbabwe will be coming into the third ODI after suffering two back-to-back defeats against Afghanistan in the opening two games of the series. After being asked to bat first in the second ODI, the hosts’ top order never got going, except the right-handed opener, Innocent Kaia, who scored his maiden ODI fifty and Ryan Burl, who scored a half century later in the innings, to take Zimbabwe total to 228. 

Innocent Kaia and captain Craig Ervine added 47 for the second wicket after losing Regis Chakabva to FazalHaq Farooqi. However, the hosts were in deep trouble as they suffered a middle-order collapse, losing five wickets in a span of 26 runs, before Ryan Burl and Blessing Muzarabani added 46 runs for the ninth before bundling out at 228. 

On the other hand, Afghanistan made a mockery of the total by chasing it with more than five overs to spare. The visitors lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz early in the chase, followed by a 195 runs partnership between Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah, which ensured Afghanistan did not suffer any more setbacks and took the 10 points on offer. Ibrahim Zadran scored his maiden ODI century and went on to stay unbeaten for 120 at the end. 

Afghanistan's Farid Malik picked up three wickets while left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi continued to pick power play wickets. 

Zimbabwe lost the first ODI by 60-runs, followed by an eight-wicket difference in the last game, which shows nothing is going in their way. As a result, they are slotted second last in the ODI Super League points table and do not look like coming any far from a top-eight finish to qualify for the 2023 mega event directly. 

Meanwhile, Afghanistan will be looking for a clean sweep and take all the thirty points from the three-match series. They are currently third in the ODI Super League points table and will be looking to go further up the ladder as another win in the last game tomorrow (June 9th) will take them into the top two of the table.

Match Details:

Match:  Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan, 3rd ODI  

Venue: Harare Sports Club, Harare

Date & Time: June 9th at 12:45 PM IST

Live Streaming: Fancode

Pitch Report: The pitch showed contrasting behaviors in the first two ODIs. 

Afghanistan batters were way more comfortable to bat on this pitch, in comparison to the hosts. The average first innings score should be around 270. Anything above 275 will be tough to chase.

Afghanistan batting first might see a decent first innings total on the board again. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe is averaging 215 on this wicket. 

Head-To-Head

Matches played: 27

Zimbabwe Won: 10

Afghanistan Won: 17

Squads

Zimbabwe:  Craig Ervine (c), Ryan Burl, Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chatara, Tanaka Chivanga, Luke Jongwe, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Clive Madande, Wesley Madhevere, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Ainsley Ndlovu, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Donald Tiripano

Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah (vc), Azmatullah Omarzai, Farid Malik, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Ibrahim Zadran, Ikram Alikhail (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rashid Khan, Riaz Hassan, Shahidullah Kamal, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zia ur Rahman Akbar

Probable Playing XI

Zimbabwe: Regis Chakabva (wk), Innocent Kaia, Craig Ervine (c), Wesley Madhevere, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Ryan Burl, Donald Tiripano, Tendai Chatara, Tanaka Chivanga, Blessing Muzarabani

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik

CREX XI Suggestion 

Wicket-Keeper: Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Batters: Craig Ervine, Rahmat Shah, Ibrahim Zadran, Innocent Kaia

All-Rounders: Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Mohammad Nabi

Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Blessing Muzarabani, Fazalhaq Farooqui

Captain: Rahmat Shah

Vice-Captain: Rashid Khan