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AFG vs ZIM 1st T20I Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | AFG vs ZIM 1st T20 Dream11 Prediction Today | Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe 1st T20I Key Players | Abu Dhabi Pitch Report

Afghanistan and Zimbabwe will lock horns in a three-match T20I series in Abu Dhabi, starting on Wednesday, after a hard-fought Test Series which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Afghanistan played their last International T20I more than a year ago on 10th March 2020. They will be back in the format where they play their best brand of Cricket after 370 days, as most of their tours were postponed due to the ongoing Pandemic. 

Afghanistan has dominated against Zimbabwe in past and has won eight out of the nine matches they have played against them. Now, this well timely series also brings a perfect opportunity for them to settle the squad for the T20 World Cup which is set to take place later this year.  

Some reports suggest that there are some Visa issues. Mujeeb Zadran, Gulbadin Naib and 3 others are not in UAE and most likely to miss the first T20I.

On the other side, Zimbabwe has struggled in the T20 format in the last few years and they are on a losing streak of five consecutive matches. However, they will certainly draw inspiration from how they played in the last two Tests look to up the ante in this format of the game as well.

Brendan Taylor and Craig Ervine are not part of this series as they are recovering from illness.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Afghanistan:

• Rashid Khan –  The little Man who rules the T20 format is coming after attaining a 10 wicket haul in Test format. This also shows how versatile he has become over the years. In 9 matches against Zimbabwe, he has picked 13 wickets with a best of 3/11. 
• Zimbabwe has struggled against quality leg-spin in past and in their last match as well they gave 4 wickets to Usman Qadir which makes Khan an Attractive option for Captaincy in Grand Leagues!
• Rahmatullah Gurbaz – Flamboyant Gurbaz has played some outstanding knocks in his short career so far and is considered the future of Afghanistan Batting.
• On the Same Ground, he made his ODI debut against Ireland in January and struck a century, and then continued his form in the T10 league as well. He has played twice against Zimbabwe and struck 104 runs with the best score of 61.
• Mohammad Nabi – The President is considered hot property in all the teams he played as he can perform with both bat & the ball. He is coming on the back of some impressive performances in the Pakistan Super League. 
• Nabi has a good record against Zimbabwe in 9 matches he has played against them. He has scored 275 runs with the best score of 52 and has also picked 6 wickets.
• Usman Ghani will open the batting and will be a good pick in Grand Leagues. In 4 matches he has managed 125 runs with the best score of 65. 
• Karim Janat– In the absence of Gulbadin Naib, Janat will be bowling death overs and his ability with the bat as well makes him an excellent option of Punt in Grand Leagues.
• Naveen-ul-Haq will be a crucial pick in all Fantasy Leagues.

Zimbabwe:

• Sean Williams – Skipper Williams is the best player from Zimbabwe Camp. He was in outstanding form in the Test series as well. In 5 matches against Afghanistan, he has scored 102 runs with a best of 54 and has also picked 5 wickets.
• Sikandar Raza– Raza has good experience of playing in Abu Dhabi as he has played here in PSL. He has played 7 matches against Afghanistan and got 156 runs with a best of 52 runs. He has managed just 1 wicket in 9 overs he has bowled. 
• Blessing Muzarabani– It would be quite fair if we say Muzarabani County Stint has been a blessing for him. In his nine T20Is, the tall right-arm quick has taken two or more wickets on six occasions, including a career-best 3 for 21 against Australia. He has 4 wickets from 2 games against Afghanistan.
• Wesley Madhvere was impressive in his last T20 series against Pakistan and will be an excellent option to have in Grand Leagues. 
• Donald Tripano – Tripano will be a good pick if Zimbabwe bowls first.

Stats & Facts

• Zimbabwe has never won against Afghanistan when batting first. 
• Overall head-to-head Played – 9 | Afghanistan – 8 | Zimbabwe -1
• Rashid is six wickets away from becoming the seventh man (and fourth spinner) to take 350 wickets in the format.

Predicted XI

Afghanistan: 1. Rahmatullah Gurbaz (wk), 2. Usman Ghani, 3. Asghar Afghan (c), 4. Mohammad Nabi, 5. Karim Janat, 6. Najibullah Zadran, 7. Sharafuddin Ashraf, 8. Amir Hamza Hotak, 9. Rashid Khan, 10. Fareed Ahmad Malik, 11. Naveen-ul-Haq

Zimbabwe: 1. Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, 2. Kevin Kasuza, 3. Sean Williams (c), 4. Wesley Madhevere, 5. Sikandar Raza, 6. Ryan Burl, 7. Regis Chakabva (wk), 8. Donald Tiripano, 9. Wellington Masakadza/Brandon Mavuta, 10. Richard Ngarava, 11. Blessing Muzarabani

Abu Dhabi Pitch Report and Conditions

The pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium will be one where both the batsmen as well as the bowlers will be interested. Batsmen will have to bide their time on this surface to score big. The chasing team has 40% of Matches on this ground, but this can certainly increase.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

Afghanistan’s great record against Zimbabwe should hold them in good stead here. Plus, their knowledge of the UAE will make them hard to beat. Afghanistan to win.

Thanks for reading!

Written by Shekhar Singh. Follow Shekhar on Twitter today.