Zimbabwe will observe a series to win against Afghanistan in the second and final Test of the ongoing series. The match is scheduled to be played from Thursday (January 2) at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo.
After losing the T20I and ODI series, the hosts came up with a strong batting in the first Test. Batting first, the hosts amassed a mammoth total of 586 runs. Sean Williams, Craig Ervine and Brian Bennett scored centuries for the home side.
Afghanistan, however, still managed to get the better of the hosts as they ended their first innings on 699 runs. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah scored double centuries while Afsar Zazai scored a century.
In the second innings, Zimbabwe had scored 142/4 when proceedings finally came to an end. With both teams now ready for the second test, here is the Zimbabwe Playing 11 for the upcoming match.
Zimbabwe XI vs Afghanistan – 2nd Test, Afghanistan Tour of Zimbabwe 2024-25:
Openers: Joylord Gumbie (wk), Ben Curran
Joylord Gumbie and Ben Curran are likely to be first in the Playing 11 for the upcoming Test. Although Gumbie failed to impress in the first Test, he is expected to retain his place in the Zimbabwe Playing 11 for the second Test.
In the first innings, the hosts were out first for just 9 runs before scoring 24 runs in the second innings. Unlike Gumbie, his opening partner Ben Curran had a decent outing in the first Test.
After a poor performance in the previous ODI series, the debutant scored a fine 50 in his first Test innings. Curran scored 68 runs in the first innings and then scored 41 runs in the second innings.
Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine (c), Dion Myers, Brian Bennett, Sikandar Raza
Takudzwanashe Kaitano also looks set to retain his place in the playing XI despite not being able to make the most of the batting conditions in the first Test. He scored 46 runs in the first innings before being dismissed for just 5 runs in the second innings.
Sean Williams played with the bat for the hosts. He top-scored for his side in the first innings, scoring 154 runs. It was his third century in three Tests against Afghanistan. In the second innings too, Williams impressed with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 35.
Captain Craig Ervine led from the start in the first Test. The star scored 104 runs in the first innings. He remained unbeaten on 22 in the second innings and shared a key position with Williams after the hosts were reduced to 88 for 4.
Brian Bennett impressed with both bat and ball in the first Test. The all-rounder scored an unbeaten 110 runs in the first innings. He took 5 wickets for 95 runs with the ball. They will be looking at another strong performance in the second Test.
Dion Myers could not impress with the bat in the first Test but is likely to retain his place in Zimbabwe playing in the playing 11. He scored 27 runs in the first innings before scoring 4 in the second.
The hosts could make one change in the lineup for the upcoming trial. Veteran all-rounder Sikandar Raza could replace him Brandon Mavuta in Zimbabwe playing 11 for the second Test.
Bowlers: Newman Nyamhuri, Blessing Muzarabani, Trevor Gwandu
It looks like the bowling line-up will remain the same for the upcoming match. Newman Nyamhuri, Blessings to Muzarabani and Trevor Gwandu are likely to be bowlers in Zimbabwe’s line-up.
