Zimbabwe look to snap unwanted streak against Afghanistan in Masakadza's farewell

Overview

Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Match 5, T20I tri-series
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong
Friday, 20 September; 06:30pm local, 12:30pm GMT

Zimbabwe's 39-run defeat to Bangladesh on Wednesday was their second against the hosts, and it confirmed their elimination from the series. Their final league clash will be against Afghanistan, whom they have never defeated in T20Is, with Zimbabwe being beaten in all the eight matches played between them so far.

It is, however, the final international appearance for captain Hamilton Masakadza, and Zimbabwe will be keen to bid farewell to him on a winning note.

Afghanistan, meanwhile, have maintained their rise in the shortest format – their latest victory over Bangladesh was a record 12th in a row against the side. Both their wins so far in the tri-series have been brought about by strong contributions from the middle order, and disciplined efforts from their spinners.

However, given how Afghanistan's top order has been less than impressive in the series so far – they were reduced to 19/3 in the last match – captain Rashid Khan will hope his top three can work themselves into form before the final against Bangladesh in Dhaka.

Remember the last time

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the opener, scored a blistering 24-ball 43, before Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi put on a 107-run stand, with the aid of seven consecutive sixes, to help Afghanistan post 197/5. Zimbabwe lost four wickets in the first seven overs of their chase, and eventually went down by 28 runs.

What they said

Rashid Khan, Afghanistan captain:"I think the senior players took the responsibility and that's how we recovered from four down to 160-plus. It's always good to win against any team. We need to keep the momentum with us and do this each and every day."

Hamilton Masakadza, Zimbabwe captain:"We can't get to the final, but there's some motivation for the next match, we have never beaten Afghanistan. For the guys who are just starting (their careers), there's a long way to go."

Conditions

The forecast is for considerable cloud cover throughout the day in Chattogram, with spots of rain in the evening raising the possibility of a delayed start. Teams batting first have won each of the last four T20Is played at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.