Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan Match 2 Full Commentary

Welcome back for Zimbabwe's batting reply. 295 is the highest successful run chase in Abu Dhabi in ODIs, chased by Pakistan against West Indies, all the way back in 2008. And Zimbabwe are chasing the exact number to seal their place in the finale. Right, the Afghan players take their fielding positions. Brian Bennett and Ben Curran are the two Zimbabwean openers. Fazalhaq Farooqi has the new ball in hand and is ready to steam in. Bennett is on strike, with two slips in place. Off we go...

... The Run Chase ...

In conversation with the Afghan opener - Ibrahim Zadran speaks with the broadcasters. He reflects on a productive 35-over stand with Sediqullah Atal, saying the pair communicated well and focused on batting in phases rather than looking too far ahead. He feels the surface is good but believes Afghanistan can defend the total if their bowlers use variations and the conditions smartly. Zadran credits their time together in the nets and scenario-based games for the growing understanding. Notes that while people once spoke of his partnership with Gurbaz, he has now built a strong bond with Atal. He adds that he is comfortable batting with any partner and always aims to give his best. On falling in the 90s, Zadran stresses that he does not dwell on milestones. He says he prefers to stay positive, play aggressively and keep his focus on the team and the ball, believing that thinking too much about a hundred can change the course of an innings. He calls the total a strong one for the surface, pointing out that 270-plus is usually a winning score here in Abu Dhabi and Afghanistan have added 25 to 30 runs beyond that. Although the team aimed for 300, he is confident that their bowling attack can defend the total if they stay disciplined with the ball and sharp in the field.

Ernest leads Zimbabwe fightback - Ernest Masuku and Brad Evans were the pick of the bowlers for Zimbabwe, delivering brilliant spells under pressure to finish with crucial figures of 3 wickets each. Blessing Muzarabani also chipped in with two scalps but proved to be a touch expensive, while the veteran Sikandar Raza claimed one wicket, leaving Zimbabwe with a steep but manageable chase ahead.

Atal and Ibrahim star with the bat - Sediqullah Atal was the undisputed star of the Afghan innings, playing a sensational, anchor-defining knock to smash a brilliant 102 runs. He found terrific support from Ibrahim Zadran, who anchored the innings beautifully but was unluckily dismissed for 90, missing out on a well-deserved century by just 10 runs. Following their dismissals, the rest of the Afghanistan middle and lower-order chipped in with handy, brief cameos to ensure the momentum was not lost, successfully pushing the final score to 293. They'll still feel that they have left a few out there.

Afghanistan set an imposing target after Atal's ton - Afghanistan have posted a good enough total of 293 runs on the board after 50 overs, leaving skipper Rahmat Shah satisfied after he decided to bat first. Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran provided a solid platform, putting on 50 runs for the first wicket before Gurbaz was cleaned up by an excellent delivery from Ernest Masuku. Ibrahim Zadran then found an exceptional partner in Sediqullah Atal, and the duo completely dominated the Zimbabwean bowling attack with a mammoth 140-run partnership for the second wicket, laying a flawless foundation for a massive total.

Fazalhaq Farooqi is the last batter in for Afghanistan.

Ziaur Rahman is the next batter in for Afghanistan.

13 balls left in the innings. AM Ghazanfar is the next batter in at number 9.

It's getting interesting - With Afghanistan winning by a massive margin of 158 runs, they have virtually confirmed their spot in the final match of this ODI tri-series. Zimbabwe's net run rate has taken a very bad dent and it's now in the negative territory. But it's not all over for them, though. However, with both matches played, they will now be rooting for Afghanistan to beat Bangladesh in the final league game. But still, Bangladesh will need to beat the Afghans by a huge margin as they have the worst net run rate of all three teams. The 3rd and last league match will be played between Afghanistan and Bangladesh on Wednesday, 22nd October, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 11.30 am GMT. But our build-up begins in advance. Until then, take care, cheers!

The captain of Afghanistan - Rahmat Shah is speaking in Pashto, and the presenter translates it into English for everyone. On becoming the first Afghanistan captain to register five consecutive ODI victories, Rahmat Shah says he is extremely happy and congratulates the batting, bowling, and fielding units. He adds that the team will look to continue in the same vein. On the team's performance across all three departments and the dropped catches, he says they will give their maximum effort to keep performing well in every department. On moving to Sharjah for the next matches, Shah says the team has already discussed and prepared for the conditions, regardless of the format. He notes that they have familiarised themselves with the conditions and will arrive prepared, whether the pitches favour spinners or fast bowlers, and will give their best. Rahmat Shah acknowledges that Afghanistan got off to a strong start and were targeting 300 or more, possibly even 320. However, he admits that losing wickets in quick succession in the middle overs brought their total down to around 300.

The skipper of Zimbabwe - Sikandar Raza is not fit and can be seen hobbling off, so on his behalf, Brendan Taylor walks up for a chat. Brendan feels it was a good toss to win, but acknowledges that Afghanistan have shown far greater application and quality. He notes that the wicket is fairly docile, and Zimbabwe's loss of too many wickets in the Powerplay has made things difficult against Afghanistan's world-class spinners. Taylor describes this as a result Zimbabwe need to draw a line under and move past. He admits there is some swing under the lights, but feels the conditions aren't overly difficult, calling it a wasted opportunity, particularly his own dismissal, which he puts down to a misjudgment while trying to be proactive. He says he will reflect on it, and praises Afghanistan for an excellent performance.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Sediqullah Atal takes home the award for his match-winning 102 off 110 balls, graced with eight fours and a six. Sediqullah says he is quite happy with how things are going. He has been working really hard for days like these, he adds, so he can make impactful contributions and help Afghanistan beat every side. Says that comes after back-to-back hundreds in the Test and now in the ACC Tri-Nation ODI Series final. Much of the credit for the innings, he says, goes to his partner. Ibrahim Zadran is a good man to bat with, and the two know each other well, so they communicate easily. Atal says that Zadran tells him to trust himself, and when the bowlers put together a good spell, both remind each other to get the basics right and focus on one ball at a time. When asked whether Afghanistan could have added another 20 to 30 runs before being bowled out, he agrees that the back-to-back wickets cost them a few runs. But adds that the side knew the surface very well, and with a good spin attack and some seamers, they were happy with the total.

The post-match Presentation...

Atal's memorable ton, and a late twist - The Afghan openers gave them a flying start, with Ibrahim Zadran leading the way through a superb knock that fell 10 runs short of a deserved century. Sediqullah Atal, meanwhile, turned a promising start into a brilliant century, with the pair adding 140 for the second wicket to put Afghanistan firmly in control. At 190 for 1, a total well beyond 300 looked on the cards. But Zimbabwe pulled things back sharply, reducing Afghanistan from 190 for 1 to 259 for 5 with regular strikes in the closing stages. The lower order then added useful runs to lift the side to a competitive total. Evans and Masuku were the pick of the bowlers with three wickets apiece, while Muzarabani chipped in with two to ensure Afghanistan did not run away with the game.

Never really got going - With Ervine missing tonight, Zimbabwe were already light on experience, leaving Raza and Burl as the seasoned heads to navigate a storm of problems. Raza himself had been dropped by Omarzai on 20, but in their bid to preserve wickets, the pair merely went through the motions. The scoring slowed to a crawl, boundaries dried up, and when they tried to lift the tempo, Rashid removed Burl first and then Raza to leave the Chevrons reeling at 124/7. And from there, the wheels just came off for the Chevrons.

Blazed with the pace - Zimbabwe's top order found itself under pressure once more. Omarzai and Farooqi, leading Afghanistan's seam attack, struck early blows to leave the Chevrons struggling, with Taylor dismissed cheaply. Brian Bennett, despite surviving an early scare, failed to make his start count, falling to Ghazanfar as Zimbabwe slipped to 43/4. But it was the pace duo that set the tone first up. They extracted good movement from the used pitch and kept the batters under wraps with disciplined lines and lengths.

Afghans crush the Chevrons - It is Rashid Khan's world, and we are simply living in it. He was at his very best and just broke the back of this Zimbabwean batting unit. It was a near-perfect day for Afghanistan. Their bowlers were relentless, with the pace trio laying the platform before the spinners squeezed the life out of the middle overs and kept the runs in check. Whereas nothing really worked out for Zimbabwe. They were sloppy in the field and their top order once again underwhelmed, leaving a lot for the middle order to do which eventually got consumed under tremendous pressure. FYI, Zimbabwe needed to score at least 196 or more to qualify for the finale, but they fell far from that figure as well and will now have to wait for the final league match's result to know their fate.

Is that a run out at the keeper's end? The Afghan players are already celebrating and yes, the side-on replay finds Masakadza out of the crease by a fair margin when the stumps are hit.

Final rites are being read in this match now. Blessing Muzarabani is the last man in for Zimbabwe.

It's spiralling down quickly now. Afghanistan are just two wickets away from an enormous win. Ernest Masuku is in at number 10.