Noor Ahmad takes 5 for 13 as Afghanistan sweep Zimbabwe 3-0 in Sharjah

Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets with 71 balls to spare in Sharjah on Sunday night to win the T20I series 3-0. Left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad took 5 for 13 in 3.3 overs, his first five-wicket haul in T20Is, as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 79, ESPNcricinfo reported.

Scorecard in brief

• Zimbabwe 79 (Ryan Burl 30; Noor Ahmad 5-13, Abdullah Tarakhail 2-14)
• Afghanistan 81 for 3 in 8.1 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 25 not out; Masuku 2-21)
• Result: Afghanistan won by 7 wickets, series 3-0
• Player of the match: Noor Ahmad
• Player of the series: Azmatullah Omarzai, 141 runs and 4 wickets

How it went

Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran chose to bowl on a Sharjah pitch with a tinge of grass, and his fast bowlers struck at once. Fazalhaq Farooqi had Innocent Kaia caught behind in the first over, and Omarzai removed Brian Bennett in the second to leave Zimbabwe 8 for 2.

Captain Sikander Raza tried to hit his way out and fell to the second ball of debutant Abdullah Tarakhail's international career, caught at mid-off. Ryan Burl fought back with 21 runs in the powerplay, taking Zimbabwe to 37 for 3 after six overs, and made 30 in all. Once the spinners came on, Noor ran through the rest.

The series was played without DRS, and ESPNcricinfo noted several disputed umpiring calls, one of them sparking a row between Burl and Rashid Khan over an lbw appeal.

The chase took 49 balls, Afghanistan's second-biggest T20I win by balls remaining, and their 22nd win in 24 T20Is.

Why it matters in Pakistan

Afghanistan and Zimbabwe are both regular white-ball opponents for Pakistan, and Sharjah is a ground Pakistan know well. With Noor and Rashid Khan both in form, Afghanistan's spin pair is the threat any side will plan for when they next meet.

For Pakistan's own fixtures, see our Pakistan cricket schedule and results pages, and for women's cricket the Pakistan women's team fixtures and results.