Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan – 1st T20 International Preview & Prediction

Select the sports you want to hear about and TSZ will send the best previews, analysis and predictions straight to your inbox. Sign up today!

THE FACTS

When is Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan taking place? Saturday, June 11th, 2022 – 12:00 (UK)

Where is Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan taking place? Harare Sports Club, Harare

What is the expected weather for Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan? 11-13c with sunny intervals and light winds

What channel is Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan on? Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan will be televised live in the UK on FreeSports

Where can I stream Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan? Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan can be streamed via Premier Player

LAST MEETING
Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by 47 runs.

THE LOWDOWN

ZIMBABWE

• Zimbabwe were beaten 0-3 by Afghanistan in the recently concluded ODI series between these two nations and things aren’t going to get any easier for them in the 20 over format, with the hosts having most recently been beaten by Namibia in their last T20i series which took place back in May.
• Star bowler Blessing Muzarabani missed that series against Namibia due to his role as a net bowler for IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants and should significantly strengthen the Zimbabwe pace attack after a standing out across the three ODIs.

AFGHANISTAN

• After sweeping Zimbabwe in the ODIs, Afghanistan will be expecting a similar result in what is considered comfortably their strongest format when you consider the assets that they have available to them in T20 over cricket.
• As always, most eyes will be on arguably the best T20 bowler in the world in Rashid Khan, but he is backed up by a quality bowling unit, whilst it would be no surprise to see fireworks at the top of the order from the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai.

THE PREDICTION

It comes as no surprise to anyone that the tourists are considered strong favourites in this first T20i and when you assess previous results in fixtures between these two nations you can see why. Afghanistan have beaten Zimbabwe in 11 of their 12 previous T20i encounters with the last three of those games ending with Afghanistan winning by a margin of over 40 runs each time. Whilst Zimbabwe have home advantage in their favour here, that isn’t expected to turn the tide in their favour when you take into account the quality among the Afghanistan squad, particularly with the ball. Any outcome other than a comprehensive victory for the tourists in this first T20i would be a big surprise.