Afghanistan v Zimbabwe preview, 1st T20I
Overview
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe
Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah
First T20I
Monday, 5 February 19:00 local time; 15:00 GMT
In the five previous T20I meetings between these teams, Afghanistan have had the wood over Zimbabwe, ending on the winning side on all five occasions. Come the two-match T20I series at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, to be followed by five ODIs, Afghanistan will be keen on continuing the run.
Led by Asghar Stanikzai, this will be the first series for Afghanistan under Phil Simmons, who was appointed as national coach in December last year. The series also marks the return of Mohammad Shahzad, who returns for the first time since his suspension by the International Cricket Council in December for taking a prohibited substance.
Shahzad, the only Afghanistan batsman to record a T20I ton, will be hopeful of getting into his stride early. Incidentally his 67-ball 118 came at this very ground in 2016 against Zimbabwe.
Samiullah Shinwari's return to the side after being rested for the three-match One-Day International series against Ireland last year, which Afghanistan lost 2-1, will also boost the side's batting crux.
The bowling duties will once again fall on the able shoulders of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Zadran and Mohammad Nabi while Shapoor Zadran and Hamid Hassan will spearhead the pace attack.
For Zimbabwe, who last featured in a T20I more that 19 months ago against India at Harare in 2016, this will be an opportunity to reacquaint themselves in the shortest format of the game. The visitors have shown some spirited performances in recent times in Tests and ODIs, and bolstered by the return of Kyle Jarvis and Brendan Taylor in T20I colours, will be hopeful of pushing Afghanistan.
The batting will once again revolve around the experienced hands of Hamilton Masakadza, Taylor and Sikandar Raza. The skipper Graeme Cremer and Craig Ervine will be in charge of the spin duties while Jarvis, Christopher Mpofu and Tendai Chatara form the pace battery.
Key players
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan): Ranked second in the MRF Tyres ICC T20I Player Rankings, this 19-year-old leg-spinner has fast become a household name in the shortest format of the game. He had an impressive stint in the Big Bash League in Australia recently and with the surface at Sharjah aiding plenty of turn, Rashid will be a vital cog in Afghanistan's bowling line-up. Having picked up 42 wickets in 27 T20Is at a stellar average of 14.35, Zimbabwe will have to find a way to neutralise the Rashid threat.
Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe): While his T20I statistics might not make for enviable reading, there is little doubt that Sikandar Raza is one of the key members in the Zimbabwe middle-order. He played a couple of crucial knocks in the recently concluded ODI Tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and will once again be relied upon to shepherd the batting unit.
Conditions
The last time Afghanistan played a T20I at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium was back in January 2016 against Zimbabwe, where they racked up 215 for 6 in their 20 overs to wallop to an 81-run win. In the ten T2OIs that they have played here, Afghanistan have been on the winning side on seven occasions. The surface is known to be dry and assist the spinners. Weather-wise, the temperatures have been hovering around 21 degrees and the humidity will once again be a factor at Sharjah.
Squads
Afghanistan: Asghar Stanikzai (capt), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Usman Ghani, Karim Sadiq, Najibullah Zadran, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Samiullah Shinwari, Aftab Alam, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Zadran, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran.
Zimbabwe: Graeme Cremer (capt), Hamilton Masakadza, Solomon Mire, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sikandar Raza, Craig Ervine, Peter Moor, Malcolm Waller, Ryan Murray (wk), Tendai Chisoro, Christopher Mpofu, Tendai Chatara, Brandon Mavuta, Blessing Muzarabani, Kyle Jarvis.