AFG vs ZIM 1st T20I: Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by 37 runs in Sharjah after Ijaz's 22-ball 52

AFG vs ZIM 1st T20I result: Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by 37 runs in Sharjah on Tuesday night, 27 October 2026, defending 177 by bowling Zimbabwe out for 140 in 19.1 overs, according to the ESPNcricinfo scorecard. Afghanistan lead the three-match series 1-0. It was the most searched query in Pakistan on Google on Tuesday, with more than 50,000 searches.

Scorecard summary

• Afghanistan 177 all out (19.5 overs): Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai 52 off 22, Shahidullah 46 off 42, Rashid Khan 30 off 10; Newman Nyamhuri 4-31, Brad Evans 2-34, Ernest Masuku 2-41
• Zimbabwe 140 all out (19.1 overs): Ryan Burl 32 off 24, Innocent Kaia 24, Sikandar Raza 17, Wessly Madhevere 17 off 8; Fazalhaq Farooqi 3-13, Rashid Khan 2-20, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2-27, Azmatullah Omarzai 2-39
• Result: Afghanistan won by 37 runs; series 1-0

How Afghanistan recovered from 18 for 3

Zimbabwe chose to bowl and debutant seamer Ernest Masuku struck twice in the third over, removing Sediqullah Atal and Mohammad Akram as Afghanistan slipped to 18 for 3 after captain Ibrahim Zadran had gone for 5. Sikandar Raza took a juggling catch at extra cover to send back Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 18, and at 66 for 5 in the 12th over Zimbabwe were on top.

Shahidullah and Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai turned it. Ijaz hit four fours and four sixes in a 22-ball 52, and Rashid Khan cracked four sixes in 10 balls for 30 before Nyamhuri's slower balls took three wickets in the final over, as Afghanistan lost their last four wickets for 21 and were all out off the penultimate ball.

Zimbabwe's chase

Fazalhaq Farooqi removed Ben Curran in the third over, Rashid bowled Innocent Kaia with a googly, and Zimbabwe were 94 for 4 when Raza holed out off Mujeeb. Burl kept them in it until Shahidullah's one-handed catch at cover in the 17th over, and the last five wickets fell for 33. Farooqi finished it with his third wicket in the 20th over, conceding only 13 runs from 3.1 overs.

What's next: AFG vs ZIM schedule

All matches are in Sharjah, which is one hour behind Pakistan, so add an hour to UAE time for PKT. The ICC lists the rest of the tour as:

The T20Is follow Afghanistan's win over Zimbabwe in last week's ODI tri-series final in the UAE, where Ibrahim Zadran's unbeaten 70 sealed the trophy, the ICC reported.

For Pakistan's own cricket, read the PAK vs SL tri-series report and follow the Asia Cup schedule and results.