Zimbabwe Playing 11 vs Afghanistan- 2nd Test, Afghanistan tour of Zimbabwe 2024-25

Zimbabwe will be eyeing a series win when they take on Afghanistan in the second and final Test of the ongoing series. The game is scheduled to be played from Thursday (January 2) at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.

After the loss in the T20I and ODI series, the hosts came up with a strong batting display in the first Test. Batting first, the hosts piled up a mammoth total of 586 runs. Sean Williams, Craig Ervine and Brian Bennett scored centuries for the home side.

Afghanistan, however, still managed to do better than the hosts as they finished their first innings on 699 runs. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah scored double centuries while Afsar Zazai scored a century.

In the second innings, Zimbabwe scored 142/4 when the proceedings finally came to an end. With both the teams now set for the second Test, here is the Zimbabwe Playing 11 for the upcoming game.

Zimbabwe Playing 11 vs Afghanistan- 2nd Test, Afghanistan tour of Zimbabwe 2024-25:

Openers: Joylord Gumbie (wk), Ben Curran

Joylord Gumbie and Ben Curran are likely to be the openers in the Playing 11 for the upcoming Test. Even though Gumbie failed to impress in the first Test, he is expected to retain his spot in the Zimbabwe Playing 11 for the second Test.

In the first innings, the host opener was out for just 9 runs before scoring 24 runs in the second innings. Unlike Gumbie, his opening partner Ben Curran had a decent outing in the first Test.

After a poor outing in the preceding ODI series, the debutant scored a fine fifty in his first-ever Test innings. Curran scored 68 runs in the first innings and followed it up with 41 runs in the second innings.

Middle-order batsmen and allrounders: Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (c), Dion Myers, Brian Bennett, Sikandar Raza

Takudzwanashe Kaitano is also looking set to retain his spot in the Playing 11 even though he could not make the most of the batting conditions in the first Test. He scored 46 runs in the first innings before being dismissed for only 5 runs in the second innings.

Sean Williams starred with the bat for the hosts. In the first innings, he top-scored for his side, scoring 154 runs. It was his third century in three Tests against Afghanistan. In the second innings too, Williams impressed with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 35.

Captain Craig Ervine led from the very front in the first Test. The star scored 104 runs in the first innings. In the second innings, he remained unbeaten on 22 and shared a crucial stand with Williams after the hosts were reduced to 88 for 4.

Brian Bennett impressed with both bat and ball in the first Test. The allrounder scored an unbeaten 110 runs in the first innings. With the ball, he picked up 5 wickets for 95 runs. He will be eyeing another strong show in the second Test.

Dion Myers could not impress with the bat in the first Test but is likely to retain his spot in the Zimbabwe Playing 11. He scored 27 runs in the first innings before scoring 4 in the second.

The hosts could make one change to their lineup for the upcoming Test. Veteran allrounder Sikandar Raza could replace Brandon Mavuta in the Zimbabwe Playing 11 for the second Test.

Bowlers: Newman Nyamhuri, Blessing Muzarabani, Trevor Gwandu

The bowling lineup looks set to remain the same for the upcoming game. Newman Nyamhuri, Blessing Muzarabani and Trevor Gwandu are likely to be the bowlers in the Zimbabwe lineup.