Zimbabwe aiming to turn tide against dominant Afghanistan

Overview

Afghanistan v Zimbabwe

Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
2nd ODI
Sunday 11 February, 14:30 local time; 10:30 GMT

Afghanistan will be brimming with confidence after reeling off three consecutive victories over Zimbabwe in the space of five days – a 2-0 whitewash in the preceding T20I series and a 154-run demolition in the first ODI on Friday.

In the most recent encounter the Afghans racked up 333/5 – the second-highest ODI total in their history – before their spinners made short work of Zimbabwe's batting line-up, dismissing them for 179 in 35 overs.

Graeme Cremer's side will be hoping to rediscover the form which saw them defeat Sri Lanka on home soil last July – evidence that they can prosper in spin-friendly conditions – but it won't be easy against an increasingly impressive Afghanistan outfit.

Sharjah might not technically be home soil for Afghanistan, but conditions in the UAE suit them very well indeed and they will be confident of taking a 2-0 lead in this five-match series.

**Key playersMujeeb Zadran (Afg):**Rashid Khan, the 19-year-old leggie who was recently named the ICC's Associate Cricketer of the Year, continued his magnificent form in the first ODI with figures of 4/26 but keep an eye out for a Mujeeb Zadran, another teenage spinner who has been fast-tracked into Afghanistan's senior side after a hugely impressive ICC U19 CWC campaign. The 16-year-old is listed as an off-spinner but he has a wide array of tricks, including a fizzing carrom ball.

He took the new ball in the first match of the series in just his fourth ODI but didn't look at all daunted as he took the key wickets of Hamilton Masakadza and Craig Ervine to finish with figures of 2/41.

Brendan Taylor (Zim): Taylor is a batsman of real pedigree, with eight ODI centuries – a Zimbabwe record – but he has yet to show his best form since returning to international cricket late last year. In 10 innings across all formats since resuming his Zimbabwe career he has scored just one half-century, and that is something he will be hoping to rectify in this series.

With Zimbabwe's batting unit struggling against a high-class spin attack, they need Taylor's class and experience to count.

Conditions
Afghanistan's total at the same venue in the preceding ODI might suggest a batting paradise, but that was the first score above 300 in Sharjah since October 2016. The average run rate at the venue is a more pedestrian 4.54 and the spinners can expect to find grip and turn.

A pleasant day is expected, with temperatures around 25 degrees in the afternoon and partial cloud cover.

Squads

Afghanistan: Asghar Stanikzai (capt), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Javed Ahmadi, Ihsanullah Janat, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Nasir Jamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Zadran, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran

Zimbabwe: Graeme Cremer (capt), Hamilton Masakadza, Solomon Mire, Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sikandar Raza, Peter Moor, Malcolm Waller, Brian Vitori, Tendai Chisoro, Blessing Muzarabani, Ryan Burl, Tendai Chatara, Kyle Jarvis