Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe 2021, 1st T20I: Match Preview And Prediction

On Wednesday (17th March), Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will face each other at Sheikh Zayed Stadium (Abu Dhabi) during the opening game of the three-match T20I series.

Before this T20I series, they played the two-match Test series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which ended with a 1-1 margin.

Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe 2021, 1st T20I: Match Preview

Afghanistan

Afghanistan cricket team is a good T20I side and they are ready to face Zimbabwe in this series. The Afghan side will try their best to win the series opener to take a good lead in this series. It will be their first T20I since March 2020 where they lost the Super Over against Ireland in Greater Noida.

Due to visa issues, some of their players, including Mujeeb Ur Rahman, haven’t joined the squad yet. However, Mohammad Nabi has returned to the team.

Recently, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Rahmanullah Gurbaz etc have shined with the bat in longer formats. Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Naveen-ul-Haq will play very important roles in this series with the ball in hand.

Full Squad

Asghar Afghan (C), Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Afsar Zazai (wk), Usman Ghani, Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najib Zadran, Karim Janat, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Amir Hamza Hotak, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Naveen Ul Haq and Farid Malik.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe are ready to play their first T20I match this year, which will be also their first limited-overs international match. In last year, while they played five T20Is, they lost all those matches. So, Sean Williams-led Zimbabwe team are looking for a fresh start in T20Is.

In the recently concluded Test series against Afghanistan, captain Sean Williams hugely impressed with his two centuries while Sikandar Raza and Regis Chakabva also played some crucial roles in their batting. But the top-order failures hurt the side.

Blessing Muzarabani, Victor Nyauchi and Donald Tiripano impressed with the ball during this recently concluded Test series.

Full Squad

Sean Williams (C), Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva, Kevin Kasuza, Wesley Madhevere, Wellington Masakadza, Prince Masvaure, Brandon Mavuta, Tarisai Musakanda, Richmond Mutumbami, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Victor Nyauchi, Donald Tiripano, Milton Shumba, Faraz Akram, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe

Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe 2021, 1st T20I: Match Prediction

Afghanistan are one of the good T20I sides and they know the UAE condition very well. Meanwhile, the unsettled Zimbabwe side is struggling in international cricket and they are missing some of their experienced cricketers in this tour. So, Afghanistan are the favourite for the T20I series opener.