Ibrahim Zadran
380 runs in the last 10 T20Is. Career average 32.9, strike rate 115.
The sides
| Measure | Afghanistan | Zimbabwe |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 187214th of 101 | 186615th of 101 |
| Home advantage | +150Rating points | –Touring |
| XI caps | 587T20Is between the XI | 755T20Is between the XI |
| Top-seven average | 22.9T20I batting in Afghanistan | 23.3T20I batting in Afghanistan |
| Bowling average | 22.4Five main bowlers, T20Is | 29.7Five main bowlers, T20Is |
When Afghanistan bat
−0.28 an overPowerplayOvers 1–6−0.56MiddleOvers 7–15−0.13DeathOvers 16–20−0.20
When Zimbabwe bat
−0.94 an overPowerplayOvers 1–6−0.59MiddleOvers 7–15−1.25DeathOvers 16–20−0.78
First innings
165Afghanistan bat first
150Zimbabwe bat first
161Par
158Average here since 2019, 40 innings
215Highest here, Afghanistan 2016
Afghanistan favoured at home, their bowling the difference against Zimbabwe
Afghanistan are favoured at 64%, and the reason is the gap between the XIs: theirs rates 15.3 runs a match above an average Full Member side, Zimbabwe's 2.8. The batting edge is modest — 5.4 to 0.1 — but the bowling is not, at 9.9 against 2.7. At Sharjah, Afghanistan batting first are projected 165 to Zimbabwe's 150, either side of a par of 161.
Afghanistan's bowling is the match's decisive number, and it is built on wrist spin. Rashid Khan, in our predicted XI, took 15 wickets in his last ten T20Is and goes at 6.14 an over across 118 matches, with Noor Ahmad, also in our predicted XI, alongside him on 205 wickets at 21.9. Zimbabwe's top seven, who average 26.7 against all bowling since 2023, must find a way through that.
What total is safe?
T20Is in United Arab Emirates since 2019
First inningsDefended
Under 15022%20 of 91
150–16965%30 of 46
170–18977%30 of 39
190–20994%17 of 18
210+100%2 of 2
The case for Afghanistan
- Their XI rates 15.3 runs a match above an average Full Member side, against Zimbabwe's 2.8; the bowling alone is worth 9.9 of that.
- Rashid Khan has 197 T20I wickets at 6.14 an over and took 15 in his last ten; Noor Ahmad has 205 at 21.9 and Mujeeb Ur Rahman 110 at 23.5.
- Batting first at Sharjah they are projected 165 against a par of 161, and 23 of the 40 matches here since 2019 have gone to the side batting first.
Batting standout
Bowling standout
Abdullah Ahmadzai
16 wickets in the last 10 T20Is. Career economy 8.35.
The case for Zimbabwe
- Sikandar Raza has 135 runs and 7 wickets in his last ten T20Is, and his career economy of 6.99 is the lowest in Zimbabwe's attack.
- Blessing Muzarabani has 117 T20I wickets at 7.27 an over and took 11 in his last ten, the best bowling rating in the side at 4.4.
- Brad Evans has 17 wickets and 158 runs in his last ten T20Is, and Brian Bennett made 197 runs over the same stretch at a career strike rate of 141.8.
Batting standout
Ryan Burl
223 runs in the last 10 T20Is. Career average 26.2, strike rate 125.
Bowling standout
Brad Evans
17 wickets in the last 10 T20Is. Career economy 8.46.