NEWS
Follow UsIt was as clinical a performance as they came from Afghanistan in Harare on December 19 (Thursday) as they bowled out Zimbabwe for 54 in the second ODI to take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series after the first match was abandoned.
More than the victory, it was the margin that made the headlines, as this 232-run win is Afghanistan's biggest win by runs. Before this win, their biggest ODI win was by 177 runs, which came against South Africa in Sharjah in September 2024.
Biggest margin of win in ODIs for Afghanistan (by runs)
177 runs vs South Africa in Sharjah, 2024
154 runs vs Zimbabwe in Sharjah, 2018
146 runs vs Zimbabwe in Sharjah, 2018
142 runs vs Bangladesh in Chattogram, 2023
As for Zimbabwe, this was their joint-fourth lowest total in ODIs. Incidentally, the last time around, they were all-out at 54 in ODIs; it was against the same opponents and at the same venue in 2017. The lowest-ever total for Zimbabwe in ODIs is 35, which came against Sri Lanka in April 2004.
After winning the toss and opting to field first, nothing went right for the hosts as the Afghan openers Sediqullah Atal and Abdul Malik added 191 for the first wicket. While Atal (104 off 128 balls) went on to register his maiden ODI century, Malik scored 84. Afghanistan eventually finished at 286/6 in their 20 overs.
Zimbabwe were never there in the chase, as they kept losing wickets. Ben Curran, the first one to go, was run out for nought. At the end of seven overs, Zimbabwe had lost four wickets, including that of the skipper Craig Ervine.
Sean Williams (16) and Sikandar Raza (19) were the only two Zimbabwe batters to get into the double digits. The last match of the series will be played at the same venue on December 21.
