Star leg spinner Rashid Khan took his seventh wicket of the innings as Afghanistan speedily wrapped up a 72-run victory over Zimbabwe on Monday to win the two-Test series. Zimbabwe were 205-8 overnight with captain Craig Ervine unbeaten on 53 and needing 73 more runs to win the Test at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo after a drawn first Test. But the home team failed to add a run and Afghanistan needed just 15 deliveries to seal a first Test win since beating Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi four years ago.

Richard Ngarava was run out for three, then man of the match Khan (7-66) added to his six-wicket haul on Sunday by trapping Ervine leg before.

Ervine was the top Zimbabwe scorer with his 103-ball knock including a six and four fours.

Khan tormented Zimbabwe throughout a match interrupted several times by rain, taking four first-innings wickets as well.

The 26-year-old deflected attention from himself after receiving the player of the match award, praising second-innings centurions Rahmat Shah (139) — who was named player of the series — and debutant Ismat Alam (101) instead.

“The way they performed second time round got us back into the match,” he said, referring to the 86-run deficit the tourists faced after the first innings.

“The way Ismat shrugged off the disappointment of being out for nought in his first innings was amazing. He was hurt during the second innings, but carried on for the sake of his country.

“I am recovering from back surgery so taking 11 wickets was very encouraging. It was all about adapting to the conditions, which initially favoured the bowlers, then the batters.”

Brief scores

Afghanistan 157 (Rashid Khan 25; S. Raza 3-30, N. Nyamhuri 3-42) and 363 in 113.5 overs (Rahmat Shah 139, Ismat Alam 101; B. Muzarabani 6-95, R. Ngarava 3-76) v Zimbabwe 243 (C. Ervine 75, S. Raza 61, S. Williams 49; Rashid Khan 4-94, Yamin Ahmadzai 3-62) and 205 in 68.3 overs (S. Ervine 53, B. Curran 38, S. Raza 38; Rashid Khan 7-66)

Result: Afghanistan won by 72 runs

Toss: Zimbabwe

Rashid Khan marked his triumphant return to Test cricket with a “Player of the Match” performance, guiding Afghanistan to a 72-run victory over Zimbabwe in the second and final Test at Queens Sports Club on Monday. The leg-spinner’s exceptional bowling figures, 4/94 in the first innings and 7/66 in the second played a pivotal role in sealing the series win. Reflecting on the match, Rashid expressed gratitude for the team’s effort and determination. “After three years, back in Test cricket, it was hard for me to come back from back surgery and play the longest format. It is a team effort, the way they [the batters] delivered with the bat in the second innings — that got us back [in the game],” he said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Rashid highlighted the significant contributions of Rahmat Shah and debutant Izmatullah, who overcame challenging conditions to anchor Afghanistan’s second innings.

“When there is team effort, you have more chances of winning. The way Rahmat and Izmat batted, it was not easy, especially for Izmat getting out [on zero] on debut. The way he came back, got hit, but stood there–it was a great example of him wanting to be there at the end and bat for the country. He wants to take all the pressure on himself and he set the example,” Rashid added.

The duo’s partnership not only stabilized Afghanistan’s innings but also set up a platform for Rashid to weave his magic with the ball.

“He and Rahmat gave us the chance to come back (later with the ball). It is about keeping it simple, making sure you adjust to the conditions and the situations,” he added.

Rashid admitted that transitioning back to red-ball cricket after three years was challenging, especially post-surgery.

“Have not bowled much with the red ball, have not even touched it [in the last three years]. Tried to have belief [in what I have been doing for the last 10-12 years in international cricket],” he explained.

His ability to adjust to the conditions and maintain discipline in his length proved decisive.

“Does not matter if I am bowling quicker or slower, but more about the length I ball – that is what creates problems. I try to adjust to the conditions as quickly as I can,” Rashid noted.

Afghanistan’s victory underlines the team’s growing stature in Test cricket, with Rashid Khan’s heroics reaffirming his status as one of the game’s premier match-winners.

With this victory, the visitors seal the two-match series 1-0. Rahmat Shah was awarded the “Player of the Series” award for his exceptional batting performance which included a double hundred in the first Test.

Chasing a total of 277 runs, the hosts were bowled out for 205. The highest scorer in the side was their skipper Craig Ervine who slammed 53 runs which was laced with four boundaries and a maximum.

Sikandar Raza (38 runs off 83 balls, 2 fours), Ben Curran (38 runs from 53 balls, 5 fours), Takudzwanshe Kaitano (21 runs in 56 balls, 2 fours and 1 six), Sean Williams (16 runs off 25 balls, 2 fours) and Joylord Gumbie (15 runs from 45 balls, 2 fours) played notable for their side but it went in vain as their team end up on a losing side.

For the Afghanistan side, the pick of the bowler was Rashid Khan who grabbed seven wickets in his spell of 27.3 overs where he conceded 66 runs. Two wickets were snapped by left-arm spinner Zia-Ur-Rehman in his 15 overs where he gave away 44 runs.

Earlier in the third innings, Afghanistan scored 363 with the help of knocks from Rahmat Shah (139 runs in 275 balls, 14 fours) and Ismat Alam (101 runs off 181 balls, 9 fours).

For Zimbabwe, six wickets were bagged by right-arm seamer Blessing Muzarabani in his spell of 29 overs where he conceded 95 runs. Three wickets were taken by Richard Ngarava and one wicket was taken by Sikandar Raza.

A young boy who went missing in a rainforest reserve in northern Zimbabwe, home to dangerous animals like lions and elephants, survived for five days by eating fruit and finding water by digging wells.

According to The Metro, Tinotenda Pundu had wandered away from his village in northern Zimbabwe on December 27 and got lost. He was found around 30 miles (50 km) away five days later, in Matusadona National Park, weak and dehydrated but alive. Tinotenda used sticks to dig into a riverbank for water, a skill taught in the drought-prone area, and ate a wild fruit known as tsvanzva.

Describing the story of the 8-year-old Tinotenda Pudu, local member of parliament P Mutsa Murombedzi wrote that “he wandered away, lost direction & unknowingly headed into the perilous Matusadonha game park. After 5 long, harrowing days in the jungle near Hogwe River, which feeds into Ume River, the boy has been found alive by the incredible rangers from Matusadona Africa Parks. His ordeal, wandering 23 km from home, sleeping on a rocky perch amidst roaring lions, passing elephants, eating wild fruits, and just the unforgiving wild, is too much for an 8-year-old.”

A boy missing & found in Matusadonha game park

A true miracle in remote Kasvisva community, Nyaminyami in rural Kariba, a community where one wrong turn could easily lead into a game park. 8-year-old Tinotenda Pudu wandered away, lost direction & unknowingly headed into the… pic.twitter.com/z19BLffTZW

— Mutsa Murombedzi MP (@mutsamu) January 1, 2025

Matusadona game park has about 40 lions. At one point, it had one of the highest lion population densities in Africa, according to African Parks.

“We are overwhelmed with gratitude to the brave park rangers, the tireless Nyaminyami community, who beat night drums each day to get the boy to hear sound & get the direction back home, & everyone who joined the search. Above all, we thank God for watching over Tinotenda and leading him back home safely. This is a testament to the power of unity, hope, prayer, and never giving up,” the MP wrote, thanking the rangers.

Afghanistan veteran Hashmatullah Shahidi and Zimbabwe rookie Brian Bennett starred as the first Test was drawn after a rain-shortened final day in Bulawayo on Monday. Shahidi claimed an Afghan record 246 runs at the end of a marathon innings while spinner Bennett took five wickets. Zimbabwe made 586 and 142-4 to lead Afghanistan by 29 runs at stumps after the tourists posted 699. Both first innings scores were national records. With Zimbabwe 88-4 in their second innings and 25 runs behind, batting stability was required and the unbeaten partnership of veterans Sean Williams (35) and Craig Ervine (22) provided it. 

Shahidi departed after being trapped leg before by Bennett, whose 5-95 were the best figures among the six-man Zimbabwe attack. 

The 30-year-old left-hand batter faced 474 balls in 694 minutes, and struck 21 fours at Queens Sports Club in the southwestern city.

Congratulations to our captain @Hashmat_50 for his double century. Fantastic knock!

And congratulations to @AfsarZazai_78 for his first maiden test century – well played, your hard work has truly paid off! pic.twitter.com/1kzFH3vEPZ

— Ibrahim Zadran (@IZadran18) December 30, 2024

His partnerships with Rahmat Shah (364 runs) and Afsar Zazai (211) ensured Afghanistan took a 113-run first innings lead.

The previous highest Test score of Shahidi was 200 not out, also against Zimbabwe, in Abu Dhabi three years ago.

Before the exit of Shahidi, wicketkeeper Zazai claimed a maiden Test century, hitting 113 before being caught at backward point by substitute Johnathan Campbell. The fall of Shahidi triggered a collapse with the final six Afghanistan wickets going for just 20 runs in four overs as the off spin of Bennett wreaked havoc.

Bennett, a 21-year-old appearing in only his second Test, twice took wickets from successive balls only to be deprived of hat-tricks on both occasions.

He also shone with the bat, making 110 not out in the first innings after Zimbabwe captain Ervine won the toss. Batting a second time, Zimbabwe put on 73 runs before an outside edge from Joylord Gumbie (24) allowed Shahidi to make a simple catch in the slips.

The fall of the wicket was followed almost immediately by mid-afternoon rain that led to a one hour delay.

Test debutant Ben Curran, a son of deceased former Zimbabwe coach Kevin Curran and brother of England internationals Tom and Sam, made 41 before being run out.

Gumbie, Curran and Takudzwanashe Kaitano (5) fell in the space of 14 balls, with spinner Zahir Khan taking two wickets, and Dion Myers (4) was bowled by teenage spinner Allah Ghazanfar.

File photo of Arshdeep Singh.© AFP

Sean Williams in action© X (Twitter)

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has announced free entry for spectators to the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo for the upcoming two-match Test series against Afghanistan, starting with the Boxing Day game on Thursday. In a statement, ZC said the decision comes in the wake of its efforts to celebrate the country’s first Boxing Day Test at home in 28 years. It is followed by Zimbabwe’s inaugural New Year’s Test, scheduled for January 2-6, 2025.

“This is an extraordinary milestone for Zimbabwe Cricket and our fans. By offering free entry, we want to share this historic occasion with as many cricket lovers as possible, creating an electric atmosphere to inspire our players and celebrate the spirit of the game,” said Givemore Makoni, ZC Managing Director.

The last time Zimbabwe played a home Boxing Day Test, it was in 1996, which ended in a rain-affected drawn match against England at Harare Sports Club. Since then, Zimbabwe have only played Boxing Day Tests abroad against New Zealand in 2000 and South Africa in 2017, the latter being a pink-ball day-night fixture in Port Elizabeth.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe have called up right-arm fast bowler Victor Nyauchi to replace Takudzwa Chataira, who suffered a right-side strain during the team’s practice session earlier this week.

Chataira was among the seven uncapped players initially selected for the series. His replacement Nyauchi, an experienced bowler with nine Test matches under his belt and 20 wickets to his name, brings additional depth to the hosts’ bowling attack.

Thursday’s match, despite a rain threat looming on all five days, will be Zimbabwe’s second Test of 2024 after playing in a one-off Test against Ireland at Belfast in July, where they lost by four wickets. Zimbabwe lost T20I series to Afghanistan 2-1, and was followed by them losing ODI series to the visitors’ 2-0.

Zimbabwe Test squad: Craig Ervine (captain), Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Johnathan Campbell, Joylord Gumbie, Trevor Gwandu, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Brandon Mavuta, Nyasha Mayavo, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri, Victor Nyauchi, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams

Spinner AM Ghazanfar has been added to Afghanistan’s squad for its upcoming Test series against Zimbabwe, starting in Bulawayo on Thursday. The development comes after reports emerged of Rashid Khan being unavailable for the Boxing Day game due to personal reasons. AM Ghazanfar has been added to Afghanistan’s squad for the two-match test series against Zimbabwe, with the first one being scheduled to begin tomorrow in Bulawayo,” said the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) through its X post on Wednesday.

Ghazanfar’s maiden call-up to the Test team comes after he picked up impressive figures of 5/33 in the third ODI at Harare Sports Club, which helped Afghanistan secure an eight-wicket win and take a 2-0 series win. Interestingly, Ghazanfar is yet to play a first-class game in his cricketing career.

Ghazanfar was sold to Mumbai Indians for Rs 4.8 crore during the IPL 2025 auctions in November. 

2024 has been a meteoric year for Ghazanfar, who began by playing for Afghanistan in the U19 Men’s World Cup in South Africa, where he bagged eight wickets in four matches at an economy rate of 3.35 and was followed by his senior ODI debut against Ireland in March.

He then guided Afghanistan A to winning their maiden ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup title in 2024, winning the Player of the Match award in the final against Sri Lanka A in Oman.

The series opening game against Afghanistan, to be played at the Queens Sports Club, will be the first time Zimbabwe will be hosting its first Boxing Day Test at home in 28 years. It will be followed by Zimbabwe hosting its first New Year’s Test, scheduled for January 2-6, 2025.

Afghanistan updated Test squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhail, Afsar Zazai, Riaz Hassan, Sediqullah Atal, Abdul Malik, Baheer Shah Mahboob, Ismat Alam, Azmatullah Omarzai, Zahir Khan, Zia Ur Rehman Akbar, Zahir Shehzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Bashir Ahmad Afghan, Naveed Zadran, Fareed Ahmad Malik and AM Ghazanfar.

ZIM v AFG 3rd ODI LIVE Scorecard© AFP