Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan 2nd ODI Match Prediction – Who will win today’s match between Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan?

Zimbabwe will lock horns with Afghanistan in the second ODI at the Harare Sports Club on June 6. Both teams will be heading into this contest on the back of contrasting results in the series-opener. The Afghans handed Zimbabwe a huge 60-run thrashing to go 1-0 up in the three-match series. After posting a big total of 276/5 batting first, the Afghanistan bowlers did the job by chipping in with wickets at regular intervals and completely nullified the hosts’ chances of staging a comeback through small partnerships.

Zimbabwe on the other hand had a day to forget with the ball despite taking two early wickets of openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz after which the duo of Rahmat Shah and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi staged a counter-attack with a match-winning 181-run third-wicket stand and the bowlers could never rediscover their rhythm from there on.  All-rounder Sikandar Raza was the lone half-centurion for the hosts, scoring 67 with opener Innocent Kaia and captain Craig Ervine playing supporting knocks of 39 and 30 respectively, but their efforts were just not enough in the end.

Match Details

Venue: Harare Sports Club, Harare.

Date and Time: June 6, 2022, at 12:45 PM IST

Live Streaming: FanCode

Pitch Report

The Harare wicket will be a balanced one for both the batters and bowlers. The batters can go on to play impactful knocks once they get set, a run-fest can be expected here. However, since this is a used pitch, it might turn out to be a huge advantage to the spinners as the contest progresses. Therefore, the captain winning the toss here will have no hesitation in batting first.

Probable Playing XIs for Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan

Zimbabwe

Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Dion Myers, Regis Chakabva (wk), Craig Ervine (c), Wessley Madhevere, Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Ainsley Ndlovu, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara, Luke Jongwe.

Afghanistan

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Yamin Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Probable Top Performers

Probable best batter of the match

Rahmat Shah:

Rahmat Shah was the star of the last game with the bat. He staged a 181-run third-wicket stand with skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and rescued Afghanistan from a precarious situation after losing two early wickets. He went on to score 94 runs. Shah might have missed out on his well-deserved century by six runs, but they were good enough in the team’s winning cause.

Probable best bowler of the match

Mohammad Nabi:

Mohammad Nabi was the pick of the bowlers for Afghans as he completely applied the brakes on Zimbabwe’s momentum during their stiff run chase. The veteran spinner finished with figures of 4/34 from his quota of 10 overs and more importantly, he was very economical as well with a rate of 3.4. Nabi would be expected to bamboozle the  Zimbabwe batting line-up yet again.

Today’s match prediction: Afghanistan to win the match.

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.