AFG vs ZIM 1st T20I Results

6:32 PM IST That's a wrap, folks! Well, after the success of the ODI tri-series, Afghanistan now carry their sublime form into the T20Is and take a 1-0 lead. However, there's plenty to play for, and remember, Zimbabwe had Afghanistan on the ropes early in the game, and things could have been pretty different. But still, the hosts have a very well-rounded bowling attack that is capable of defending any total. Anyway, we stay in Sharjah for the remainder of the series and the 2nd T20I between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will be played on Thursday, October 29, beginning at 2.30 pm GMT. You can also join us a lot sooner for the build-up. Until then, take care and goodbye!

6:29 PM IST Now, the winning skipper of Afghanistan - Ibrahim Zadran says that the conditions were a bit sticky early on and they couldn't get a great start, but made up for it later on. He then goes on to credit the way Ijaz Ahmadzai batted and also the way Rashid Khan finished off the innings. Adds that they are working every day to improve their skills and tweak small things here and there, and will continue to try and play better cricket. Zadran also mentions that the whole team always keeps thinking about how to take their cricket to the next level and hopes that one day they will be at the top.

6:28 PM IST A word with Zimbabwe's captain - Sikandar Raza admitted that his bowlers let the team down in the latter stages of the innings, despite the fielding being decent. He credited Afghanistan for their excellent performance, describing the final five overs as painful to watch. With the wicket offering some stickiness, Raza shared that the plan was to hit the length hard, but Afghanistan attacked all around the park, making it difficult for him to control the boundaries as captain. Raza acknowledged that Afghanistan have had the upper hand so far, although Zimbabwe are now better accustomed to the conditions after spending 10 days in the country. He also pointed out that Afghanistan carried their momentum into the bowling innings, while Zimbabwe’s batters failed to find boundaries when they needed them most. With the surface playing well, Raza felt that letting Afghanistan off the hook was criminal.

6:22 PM IST Player of the Match - Rashid Khan is given the award for his brilliant cameo of 30 off just 10 balls, and 2/20 with the ball. Rashid starts by thanking the Almighty and feels that when they were behind in the game, Ijaz Ahmadzai and he had a discussion about just watching the ball and hitting it. Khan goes on to mention that even in 20 overs, you have time to read the conditions, and that is one area in which they can improve: finding the right score on a certain pitch. He further mentions that he is mentally prepared to do well for the team in all three departments and he doesn't feel the pressure.

6:12 PM IST The Presentation ceremony...

6:12 PM IST Letting it slip - Zimbabwe will be rueing the opportunities they had in the first innings to really bog Afghanistan down, but after picking up 3 wickets in the Powerplay and then having the hosts reeling at 66/5, they let a huge partnership flourish, one that eventually took Afghanistan to an above-par total. With the bat, there were starts in the top order, but no one could capitalize. Ryan Burl seemed to be striking the ball well, but Zimbabwe never had two batters flourish together out in the middle and lost their final 6 wickets for just 33 runs, going on to lose the game by 37 runs.