Teen Spinner Allah Ghazanfar Takes Five As Afghanistan Seal Odi Series Win

Teenage spinner Allah Ghazanfar took 5 wickets for 33 runs to help Afghanistan defeat Zimbabwe by eight wickets on Saturday, clinching a 2-0 series victory in their ODI series.

The 18-year-old followed up his impressive six-wicket haul against Bangladesh last month with a stellar Man of the Match performance in Harare, as Afghanistan dominated Zimbabwe for the second time in three days. The opening match of the series was washed out on Tuesday.

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and put Zimbabwe in to bat. Apart from veteran Sean Williams, who scored 60 from 61 balls, the Zimbabwean batsmen struggled. Zimbabwe were dismissed for just 127 runs, with Ghazanfars off-break deliveries causing major damage.

Sediqullah Atal, fresh off his maiden ODI century in the previous game, top-scored for Afghanistan with 52, guiding them to 131-2 in just 26.5 overs to wrap up the win. Afghanistan had already won the T20I series, completing a white-ball double over Zimbabwe.

This series victory marks Afghanistan's seventh ODI series win over Zimbabwe, with one series drawn.

It is wonderful to see youngsters like Allah coming into the team and making such a big impact, Shahidi said after the match. Allah is doing very well for the team and, hopefully, he can maintain this momentum and bowl well going forward.

Ghazanfar's performance continued a standout year, which also saw him part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad that won the IPL. Afghanistan's star leg-spinner Rashid Khan also contributed, taking 3 wickets for 38 runs, further exposing Zimbabwe's batting weaknesses. Two days earlier, Zimbabwe were dismissed for just 54 runs.

Williams' 60 runs, which included three sixes and six fours, were the highlight for Zimbabwe. He was eventually dismissed when his reverse sweep off Rashid Khan was caught by Mohammad Nabi at first slip.

Afghanistan's openers, Atal and Abdul Malik, put on a strong 84-run partnership before both fell within 10 balls. Shahidi 20 then guided Afghanistan home with 139 balls to spare, sealing the win.

The teams will now move to Bulawayo for a two-Test series, with the first Test starting on 26 December.