Noor Ahmad fifer powers Afghanistan's 3-0 series sweep
The left-arm wrist spinner ransacked Zimbabwe's middle-order, bundling them out for just 79. Afghanistan then chased it down with seven wickets and 11.5 overs to spare
3.3 overs. 11 dots. 13 runs. 5 wickets. Zimbabwe's middle-order crashed and burned against Afghanistan's left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad as they folded for a meek 79 in the third and final T20I. Afghanistan, who'd already won the series 2-0, put in an emphatic effort to claim it 3-0. Afghanistan lost three wickets in chase but it took them just 8.1 overs to get past Zimbabwe's lowly total.
Noor might have stolen the show but four other Afghanistan bowlers played their part in causing the big batting collapse. Azmatullah Omarzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Abdullah Tarakhail reduced Zimbabwe to 13/3 in the fourth over. Ryan Burl and Wesley Madhevere attempted to revive the innings, but Abdullah Omarzai cut that endeavour short by dismissing Burl in the 10th over.
Noor then swooped in to dismantle what was left of the Zimbabwean line-up with a devastating spell of spin bowling. Zimbabwe went from 56/4 to 79 all-out in the space of 4.4 overs. He accounted for the wickets of Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Newman Nyamhuri and Ernest Masuku, the final one to fall.
Zimbabwe picked a couple of Powerplay wickets too, but Afghanistan coasted through to wipe out the target inside nine overs with opener Ibrahim Zadran getting 25 off 17, and Azmatullah remaining unbeaten on 18 to see the chase through.
Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 79 in 14.3 overs (Ryan Burl 30; Noor Ahmad 5-13) lost to Afghanistan 80/3 in 8.1 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 25*) by 7 wickets.
