Gulbadin Naib hit a career-best 82 not out as Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by two wickets to win the fifth one-day international (ODI) and take the series 3-2 on Wednesday.
Naib smashed six sixes and three boundaries in his 68-ball knock, as Afghanistan chased down their 249-run target to claim a second successive series win over Zimbabwe after winning in Africa in October last year.
Naib’s final six came off the third-last ball after his team had been 121-5 at one stage.
His partnership of 85 with Rashid Khan for the seventh wicket proved key after Zimbabwe had appeared to be on course for a third successive win in the series after losing the first two matches.
Hamilton Masakadza had hit 110 after Zimbabwe batted first, while Peter Moor (42) and Richmond Mutumbami (40) also starred, with the African side 167-3 at on stage.
Afghanistan were 66-3 in reply after fast bowler Luke Jongwe sent back Mohammad Shahzad, Noor Ali Zadran and Narwoz Mangol.
However, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Mohammad Nabi steadied the innings before Naib took charge with his man-of-the-match performance.
“The partnership with Rashid helped and gave me the energy to carry on,” Naib told cricinfo.com.
Afghanistan skipper Asghar Stanikzai hailed his team’s win, which also cemented their place in the top 10 of the world rankings.
“It is a phenomenal achievement to start off the year with a series win. Gulbadin has proved he has got the skill to play even in ODIs,” Stanikzai said. “Afghanistan are known for their ability to bounce back and we showed that today. It is a historic day for us.”
Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura blasted his team’s below-par performance.
“I thought we lost it in the last nine overs of our bowling, where we did not bowl our yorkers well. We bowled into Gulbadin’s arc. When it comes to execution of our skills, it was not up to the standards,” Chigumbura said.
“That was the difference between a win and a loss. I wanted to bowl, but was struggling and felt a bit of pain. We have to look forward now and bounce back in the T20 series,” he added.
The Twenty20 series between the two sides starts in Sharjah today.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping