Zimbabwe have trounced Afghanistan by four wickets in the opener of their three-match T20 series at the Harare Sports Club.
Afghan skipper Rashid Khan won the toss and decided to bat first. Afghanistan were off to a shocking start, losing their star opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck.
However, Mohammad Nabi and Karim Janat built a crucial 79-run partnership for the seventh wicket to help their side set a 145 runs target for the hosts.
Karim Janat slammed 54 runs off 49 balls, while Mohammad Nabi chipped in with 44.
Zimbabwe chased down the target on the final ball of the game. Opener Brian Bennett scored 49 runs and Dion Myers contributed 32.
The rare T20 triumph for Zimbabwe over Afghanistan came five years after their only other victory in Bangladesh port city Chittagong.
For Afghanistan, Naveen-ul-Haq grabbed three wickets, Rashid Khan claimed two and Mohammad Nabi finished with a solitary scalp.
“We wanted to put up a good total on the board. We were only 15-17 runs short, it was still a good total,” Rashid Khan told broadcasters after the game.
He added: “Nabi and Karim played really well in the middle. We gave away so many wickets early on and in T20s, it is hard to come back. We could have bowled better than that (what we did).”
The national squad will meet Zimbabwe on Friday in their second match of the series, while the final T20 is scheduled for December 14 at the same venue.
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