Omarzai’s 116 From 5/4 Seals Series for Afghanistan as Raza’s Record Hundred Goes in Vain in Sharjah

Sharjah: Azmatullah Omarzai produced one of the great T20I rescue acts as Afghanistan recovered from 5 for 4 to beat Zimbabwe by 19 runs in the second T20I at Sharjah on Thursday, sealing the three-match series with a game to spare. Afghanistan were in ruins inside four overs, losing four wickets for five runs, and were still only 38 for 5 in the ninth over when Omarzai and Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai came together. What followed was extraordinary: the pair added 142 runs for the sixth wicket off just 59 balls, the highest sixth-wicket partnership in men’s T20I history, and Afghanistan plundered 103 runs in the last five overs to finish on 221 for 7. Omarzai was the destroyer-in-chief. He reached his maiden T20I hundred off just 44 balls and finished with 116 off 50 deliveries, hitting five fours and 12 sixes, including a 27-run over off Brad Evans in the 17th over. He became the first batter from a Full Member nation to score a T20I century batting at No. 6. Ijaz, who had made fifty in the series opener, contributed 52 off 27 balls, and captain Rashid Khan provided the finishing touch with an unbeaten 25 off just six balls, striking four sixes in the final over. Zimbabwe’s chase was kept alive almost single-handedly by captain Sikandar Raza. At 40, he became the oldest man to score a T20I hundred, finishing unbeaten on 106 off 56 balls with five fours and nine sixes, and sharing an unbroken 120-run stand for the sixth wicket with debutant Tafadzwa Tsiga. But the target of 222 proved just beyond them, and Zimbabwe closed on 202 for 5. Abdollah Ahmadzai took 2 for 34 for Afghanistan, while Evans finished with 2 for 40. The win gave Afghanistan an unassailable 2-0 lead and extended their dominance over Zimbabwe — it was their eighth consecutive series win against them, and they have now won all five white-ball matches on this tour, including the 3-0 ODI sweep. The two sides had earlier met in the series opener, where Rashid Khan starred in a 37-run Afghanistan win: https://t20star.com/rashid-khan-stars-as-afghanistan-beat-zimbabwe-by-37-runs-in-sharjah-t20i-opener/ The third and final T20I will be played in Sharjah on November 1, with Zimbabwe playing for pride and Afghanistan chasing a clean sweep. Brief scores: Afghanistan 221/7 (Azmatullah Omarzai 116, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai 52; Brad Evans 2-40) beat Zimbabwe 202/5 (Sikandar Raza 106 not out; Abdollah Ahmadzai 2-34) by 19 runs.