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Brendan Taylor

Mehluli Sibanda Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE will look for a strong conclusion to the four match One-Day International cricket series against Afghanistan when the two teams meet in the last match at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo this morning.After squandering an opportunity to seal off the series when they suffered a two-wicket loss to Afghanistan in the third ODI on Tuesday, Zimbabwe have a chance to settle matters today.

Zimbabwe’s defeat to the Afghans was the first time ever in ODIs which must have come as a shock to skipper Brendan Taylor and the rest of the team. It was also just the second triumph by Afghanistan over an International Cricket Council Full Member country with their previous win recorded against fellow Asians Bangladesh whom they defeated by 32 runs during this year’s Asia Cup played in March in Bangladesh.

Zimbabwe lead the series 2-1 and must go all out for a win to secure the contest while Afghanistan can make sure it ends 2-2 should they cause yet another upset.

After posting what looked a like a competitive score of 261 runs, Zimbabwe saw their bowlers, especially the seamers and part time spinners, hand away the win to Afghanistan. Part time slow bowler Sikandar Raza was the most expensive with his five overs costing 41 runs at an economy rate of 8.2 runs per over, pace bowler Shingirai Masakadza gave away 35 runs in the 4.4 overs he sent down, those runs including the six he was hit for by Dawlat Zadran in the last over which gave the tourists the victory.

Taylor probably got his calculations on the overs wrong as he bowled out his main spinners when he should have reserved one of them for the last over.

Left arm spinner Sean Williams, the leg spinning pair of Natsai Mushangwe and Tafadzwa Kamungozi had done a tremendous job with ball in hand but all of them finished their allocation of 10 overs before the crucial last two overs which were handed to the seamers.

Hamilton Masakadza, who missed out on a hundred against the minnows with 84 runs in the third ODI, will again hold together the Zimbabwean innings with Raza, Taylor, Williams, Malcolm Waller and all rounders Elton Chigumbura and Timycen   Maruma.

While Taylor knows he can keep faith with his slow bowlers Kamungozi, Williams, Mushangwe and to an extent Waller, it is his pace bowlers who must be a cause for concern.

The toss is going to be of importance once again today as the team that has won the toss has won the match. Afghanistan were delighted to guess correctly at the flick of the coin as the track at Queens Sports Club has proved to be easier to chase on in the afternoon as shown by their decision to send Zimbabwe to bat.

Skipper Mohammad Nabi, Usman Ghani, Javed Amhadi, wicketkeeper Mohammad Shafiqullah, Samiullah Shenwari, Dawlat Zadran and Sharafuddin Ashraf are the men who can deliver yet another shock win for  Afghanistan.