Harare: Teenage spinner AM Ghazanfar's impressive bowling figures of 5-33 propelled Afghanistan to defeat Zimbabwe by eight wickets in third ODI at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday to clinch a 2-0 series win. It’s also the sixth successive time Afghanistan have got an ODI series win over Zimbabwe.
Electing to field first, Afghanistan ran through Zimbabwe’s fragile batting line-up to skittle them for 127 in 30.1 overs. Ghazanfar, 18, bowled his quota of overs unchanged to torment Zimbabwe and picked his second ODI five-wicket haul in just 11 matches.
In reply, Afghanistan completed the chase in 26.5 overs, despite losing two wickets. Opener Sediqullah Atal scored 52 off 50 balls, laced with four fours and two sixes, after having scored 104 in the second ODI.
Zimbabwe and Afghanistan will now play a two-match Test series starting in Bulawayo on Thursday. The match will also be Zimbabwe’s first Boxing Day Test at home since playing a rain-hit draw against England in 1996.
Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 127/10 (Sean Williams 60; AM Ghazanfar 5-33, Rashid Khan 3-38) lost to Afghanistan 131 /2 (Sediqullah Atal 52; Trevor Gwandu 1-27, Richard Ngarava 1-32) by eight wickets. IANS
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