AFG vs ZIM 2nd T20I Match Result: Afghanistan Win by 19 Runs to Seal Series 2-0

Afghanistan have sealed the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe with a match to spare, winning a high-scoring AFG vs ZIM 2nd T20I at Sharjah Cricket Stadium by 19 runs. Afghanistan posted 221 for 7 after being put in to bat, then held Zimbabwe to 202 for 5 in their 20 overs, despite an unbeaten century from Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza. The win gives Afghanistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, after their 37-run victory in the opening match on October 27.

Azmatullah Omarzai was the star of the night, smashing 116 off just 50 balls, while Raza answered with 106 not out off 56 balls in a losing cause. It was a match defined by two remarkable individual innings and one extraordinary recovery, as Afghanistan rebuilt from a top-order collapse to post the highest total of the series so far.

AFG vs ZIM 2nd T20I Result and Full Match Summary

Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bowl first, a decision that looked inspired when Afghanistan lost their top order cheaply. But Omarzai’s counter-attack turned the match on its head, and Afghanistan’s bowlers then defended 221 with disciplined death bowling, even as Raza threatened to steal the game at the end.

Team	Score	Overs	Run Rate
Afghanistan	221/7	20	11.05
Zimbabwe	202/5	20	10.10

Result: Afghanistan won by 19 runs. Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah. Date: October 29, 2026. Toss: Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to field. Series: Afghanistan lead 2-0 with one match remaining. Player of the Match had not been officially confirmed in the sources checked at publication time.

Azmatullah Omarzai’s Blazing 116 Rescues Afghanistan from Early Collapse

Afghanistan’s innings began in disastrous fashion. Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell for a two-ball duck, captain Ibrahim Zadran managed only 1 off 9 balls, and Mohammad Akram also departed without scoring. Sediqullah Atal made 17 off 21 balls and Shahidullah Kamal fell for a golden duck, leaving Afghanistan five wickets down with barely anything on the board.

What followed was one of the great T20I recoveries. Omarzai, batting at number six, joined Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai and the pair added 142 runs for the sixth wicket, Afghanistan’s highest sixth-wicket partnership in T20I cricket. Omarzai raced to 116 off 50 balls, striking five fours and 12 sixes at a strike rate of 232.00. Ijaz played the perfect supporting role with 52 off 27 balls, including five fours and three sixes, before falling to Ernest Masuku.

Rashid Khan then provided the finishing kick, smashing an unbeaten 25 off just six balls with four sixes, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman finished 2 not out. Afghanistan’s 221 for 7 was built almost entirely on that sixth-wicket stand and the late assault, after the top order had contributed almost nothing.

Afghanistan Batting Scorecard Against Zimbabwe

Batter	Runs	Balls	Fours	Sixes
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk) c Raza b Evans	0	2	0	0
Ibrahim Zadran (c) b Matigimu	1	9	0	0
Mohammad Akram c Masekesa b Evans	0	2	0	0
Sediqullah Atal c Marumani b Masekesa	17	21	2	0
Shahidullah Kamal c Marumani b Matigimu	0	1	0	0
Azmatullah Omarzai c Evans b Raza	116	50	5	12
Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai c Tsiga b Masuku	52	27	5	3
Rashid Khan not out	25	6	0	4
Mujeeb Ur Rahman not out	2	2	0	0

Extras 8. Total 221 for 7 in 20 overs. Zimbabwe’s best bowlers were Brad Evans with 2 for 40 and Kundai Matigimu with 2 for 48, while Vincent Masekesa took 1 for 21, Sikandar Raza 1 for 53 and Ernest Masuku 1 for 42.

Sikandar Raza’s Unbeaten 106 Goes in Vain in Zimbabwe’s Chase

Chasing 222, Zimbabwe needed a fast start and got one from Innocent Kaia, who hit 25 off 13 balls, and Brian Bennett, who made 22 off 15. But the middle order collapsed: Ryan Burl fell for 2, Tadiwanashe Marumani for 2 and Wessly Madhevere for 4, and Zimbabwe slipped to 82 for 5, with the required run rate climbing beyond reach.

Raza refused to give in. The Zimbabwe captain played a lone hand, finishing unbeaten on 106 off 56 balls with five fours and nine sixes, and found an able partner in Tafadzwa Tsiga, who made 31 not out off 23 balls. The pair added an unbeaten 120 runs for the sixth wicket and took Zimbabwe past 200, but the early damage was too great and the chase fell 19 runs short.

Zimbabwe Batting Scorecard and Afghanistan Bowling Figures

Batter	Runs	Balls	Fours	Sixes
Brian Bennett c Rashid b Ahmadzai	22	15	1	2
Innocent Kaia c Shahidullah b Omarzai	25	13	3	1
Sikandar Raza (c) not out	106	56	5	9
Ryan Burl b Ahmadzai	2	4	0	0
Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk) lbw b Rashid	2	5	0	0
Wessly Madhevere c Akram b Fareed	4	4	0	0
Tafadzwa Tsiga not out	31	23	1	2

Extras 10. Total 202 for 5 in 20 overs. Afghanistan’s best bowlers were Abdullah Ahmadzai with 2 for 34, Rashid Khan with 1 for 29, Azmatullah Omarzai with 1 for 17 and Fareed Ahmad Malik with 1 for 51. Mujeeb Ur Rahman went wicketless for 43 runs, but Afghanistan’s bowlers did enough in the middle overs to keep the required rate out of Zimbabwe’s reach.

Key Turning Points in the Sharjah Run-Fest

• The top-order collapse: Zimbabwe’s new-ball bowlers reduced Afghanistan to five down cheaply, with Gurbaz, Zadran and Akram all failing. At that stage a total of 140 looked par.
• The 142-run sixth-wicket stand: Omarzai and Ijaz rebuilt and then exploded, turning a crisis into a match-winning total. It was Afghanistan’s highest sixth-wicket partnership in T20Is.
• Rashid’s six-ball cameo: Rashid Khan’s unbeaten 25 off six balls, including four sixes, pushed Afghanistan from a good total to a daunting 221.
• Zimbabwe’s middle-order slide: Burl, Marumani and Madhevere all fell cheaply as Zimbabwe slipped to 82 for 5, leaving Raza too much to do even with Tsiga’s support.
• The death overs: Raza and Tsiga’s unbeaten 120-run stand made the finish respectable and kept the crowd interested, but Afghanistan’s bowlers held their nerve to close out a 19-run win.

What the AFG vs ZIM 2nd T20I Result Means for the Series

Afghanistan now lead the three-match series 2-0 with one game remaining, completing a clean sweep of Zimbabwe across formats on this UAE tour. Afghanistan had already beaten Zimbabwe in the UAE tri-series final on October 23, and have now added back-to-back T20I wins in Sharjah. For Zimbabwe, the batting remains the concern: apart from Raza’s heroics, only Kaia and Tsiga passed 20 in the chase, and the middle order has now failed in both T20Is.

The third and final T20I is now a dead rubber, but it still matters for Zimbabwe, who will be desperate to avoid a series whitewash and to give their batters a confidence-boosting performance before leaving the UAE. Afghanistan, meanwhile, can rotate their side and test their bench strength with the series already in the bag.

Our Prediction Verdict: Afghanistan Seal the Series as Predicted

Our prediction pick (Afghanistan to win the 2nd T20I and seal the series 2-0) was RIGHT. Afghanistan’s spin attack, batting depth and big-match temperament proved too much for Zimbabwe once again, exactly as previewed, even though Raza’s unbeaten century made the hosts work harder than the first match for their victory.