Zimbabwe defeated Afghanistan by an innings and 73 runs in the one-off Test at Harare. Zimbabwe bowled out Afghanistan for 127 in the first innings. Brad Evans (5/22 in 9.3 overs) and Blessing Muzarabani (3/47 in 11 overs) demolished Afghanistan’s batting lineup in less than 40 overs.
In reply, Zimbabwe posted a formidable 359, thanks to a superb century by Ben Curran. Although Ziaur Rahman (7/97 in 32 overs) claimed seven wickets, the Zimbabwe batters had already done the damage.
In the second innings, Afghanistan needed at least 233 runs to make Zimbabwe bat again. However, Richard Ngarava (5/37 in 13 overs) and Blessing Muzarabani (3/48 in 12 overs) once again destroyed Afghanistan’s batting order. Zimbabwe ended a long wait for glory with a dominant victory in Harare.
It took them less than three hours on the third day to secure their first home Test win since 2013 and their first innings victory since 2001. This marks the biggest Test win in Zimbabwe’s history.
Ngarava Shines with First Five-Wicket Haul
Left-arm pacer Richard Ngarava led the charge with his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests. Under overcast skies, he used steady swing and seam movement to dismantle Afghanistan’s batting lineup. His consistency proved too much for the visitors, who folded without much fight.
The morning began with the Zimbabwe squad posing for a group photo — a sign they intended to wrap up the match quickly. Captain Craig Ervine’s decision to give the new ball to Tanaka Chivanga ahead of Blessing Muzarabani worked perfectly.
In his third over, Chivanga dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who flicked one down the leg side. Wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Tsiga reacted swiftly to complete the catch. Soon after, Ngarava removed Ibrahim Zadran in a similar fashion after the batter had reached a composed 42.
Hashmatullah Shahidi followed soon after, edging a full delivery to Ervine at slip. Bahir Shah and Afsar Zazai tried to rebuild with a brief partnership. Bahir struck six boundaries before Muzarabani cramped him with a short ball, which popped to Ben Curran at short leg. Zazai soon gifted a simple catch to backward point, leaving Afghanistan reeling at 127 for six by lunch.
Zimbabwe Maintain Pressure After Lunch
The sun appeared after lunch, but it brought no relief for Afghanistan. Chivanga thought he had dismissed Ismat Alam, but a no-ball denied him. Ngarava soon made amends. He forced Alam into a cut shot, and Tsiga dived to his right to pull off a brilliant one-handed catch. Two overs later, Sharafuddin Ashraf edged to second slip, giving Ngarava his fifth wicket of the innings.
Muzarabani then cleaned up the tail with precision. He bowled Khalil Gurbaz with a quick delivery that flattened the leg stump and followed it up with a yorker that split Ziaur Rahman’s middle stump. With that, Zimbabwe wrapped up a commanding win — one they had controlled since the second session of day one.
Curran, Raza Anchor Zimbabwe’s Batting
Ben Curran’s composed 121 on day two, which earned him the Player of the Match award, was the backbone of Zimbabwe’s strong total. Sikandar Raza’s fluent 65 added crucial runs. Together, they built partnerships that gave Zimbabwe a huge advantage.
Captain Ervine Hails Team’s Resilience
After the victory, captain Craig Ervine praised his team for their determination. "I'm ecstatic. A lot of credit to the boys for fighting and winning to end a tough year of Test cricket," he said. "The way we started, in the first hour of day one wasn't good, but the way the boys pulled things back was excellent. Then with the bat, Curran's innings — full of composure and discipline — was outstanding."
Ervine added that the bowlers adapted well to the conditions. “The wicket offered something throughout, so the boys did well to put on some good partnerships,” he noted. “Brad [Evans] with the five-for in the first innings and Richie [Ngarava] stepped up in the second innings. TK [Chivanga] was superb and Bless [Muzarabani] was unlucky not to take a few more wickets.”
Afghanistan Captain Admits Costly Collapse
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi admitted that his side’s first-innings collapse cost them the match. “They played really good cricket, it was supporting the fast bowlers,” Shahidi said. “Ball was seaming around but overall, we didn't play good cricket. We started the Test well with 80 for 1 in the first innings, but that collapse let us down. I feel the lack of our Test-playing experience cost us since we kept losing back-to-back wickets. In Test cricket, winning the first day is very important.”