2nd T20I: All-rounder Nabi helps Afghanistan seal series win over Zimbabwe | Cricket News – Times of India

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ABU DHABI: Aggressive batting from Karim Janat and Mohammad Nabi and three wickets from Rashid Khan helped Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by 45 runs in the second Twenty20 international in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Janat smacked 53 off 38 balls for his maiden international fifty while Nabi’s fiery 15-ball 40 lifted Afghanistan to an impressive 193-5 after they won the toss and batted.
Ace spinner Rashid chipped in with 3-30, taking all three wickets in the 17th over, as Zimbabwe were dismissed for 148 to give Afghanistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Afghanistan won the first match by 48 runs. The third and final match is on Saturday, again in Abu Dhabi.
Zimbabwe lost Tinashe Kamunhukamwe off the first ball of their run chase and skipper Sean Williams for nine in the second over to slump to 11-2.
Ryan Burl (40) and Richmond Mutumbami (21) shared 62 runs for the sixth wicket to give Zimbabwe fresh belief.
Nabi, who also took 2-20, broke the stand while Rashid, held out the attack until the 10th over, dismissed Burl to extinguish Zimbabwe’s hopes.
Earlier, Janat brought up his fifty with some lusty hitting after losing his partner Rahmanullah Gurbaz for nine, cracking four sixes and three fours.
But it was Nabi who gave impetus to the innings, smashing four sixes in a whirlwind knock. Three of his sixes came off spinner Brandon Mavuta’s over which yielded 23 runs.
Usman Ghani also chipped in with a brisk 34-ball 49 with and shared 102 runs for the second wicket with Janat.
Paceman Blessing Muzarabani was the pick of Zimbabwe bowlers with 2-44.

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1st T20I: Swashbuckling Rahmanullah Gurbaz stars in Afghanistan’s win over Zimbabwe | Cricket News – Times of India

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ABU DHABI: Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed a fiery half century to anchor Afghanistan’s convincing 48-run win over Zimbabwe in the first Twenty20 international in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
The dashing right-hander cracked seven towering sixes and six boundaries in his dominating 45-ball 87 to steer Afghanistan to an imperious 198-5 in 20 overs after they won the toss and batted at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Ace spinner Rashid Khan (3-28), Karim Janat (2-14) and Fareed Ahmad (2-31) then restricted Zimbabwe to 150-7 in their 20 overs to give Afghanistan a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
The second match is on Friday and the third on Saturday, both also in Abu Dhabi.
Scorecard
It was Gurbaz who gave the cavalier Afghanistan the robust start of 80 in just eight overs and continued after Janat (26) fell, adding another 74 for the second wicket with skipper Asghar Afghan who made a 38-ball 55.
Asghar hit six boundaries and two sixes.
Gurbaz holed out to leg-spinner Ryan Burl while Asghar fell to pacer Blessing Muzarabani in the final over as Afghanistan added 42 in the last five overs.
Muzarabani was the pick of Zimbabwe bowlers with 2-38 while Richard Ngarava took 2-43.
Asghar hailed the team’s spirit.
“The first game of the series is very important,” said Asghar. “If you win, the morale is high. Rahmanullah and Janat partnership was good. Then bowlers were very good.”
Zimbabwe were also off the track rapidly, putting 38 by 4.5 overs but then lost wickets at regular intervals to lose the momentum required for the big chase.
Opener Tinashe Kamunhukamwe scored a quick 37-ball 44 with four boundaries while Sikandar Raza and skipper Sean Williams made 22 each which were not enough.
This becomes Afghanistan’s ninth win in 10 Twenty20 internationals against Zimbabwe, with just one defeat.

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India move to second spot in T20I team rankings, KL Rahul drops one slot | Cricket News – Times of India

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DUBAI: Virat Kohli-led Team India on Wednesday moved to the second spot in ICC T20I Team Rankings. India is already the number one ranked Test team while the side is ranked second in the 50-over format.
Australia lost the five-match T20I series against New Zealand 3-2 and as a result, the Aaron Finch-led side has slipped to the third spot and it is now just one point behind India.
England is at the top spot and is currently seven points ahead of India. The Men in Blue would be locking horns against England in the five-match T20I series and the hosts would have a chance to further close the gap in team rankings.
In T20I batsmen rankings, Australia skipper Aaron Finch has moved to the second spot, after giving good performances in the series against New Zealand. Finch rose two spots to take the second spot, while KL Rahul has slipped one position and he is now at the third spot.
India skipper Virat Kohli has maintained his sixth spot in the batting rankings for the shortest format. England skipper Eoin Morgan has also maintained his tenth spot in the rankings
New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill has also risen three spots and as a result, he has broken into the top ten, taking the eighth spot.
There is no Indian player in the T20I bowling and all-rounder rankings. Rashid Khan is the number one ranked bowler in T20I format while Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi is the number one ranked all-rounder.
In bowling rankings, Australia spinner Ashton Agar has risen four slots and he is now positioned at the fourth spot. Kiwi spinner Ish Sodhi has risen three spots and he is now ranked at the eighth position.
Sri Lanka spinner Lakshan Sandakan has risen nine spots and he sits at the tenth position.

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