Zimbabwe takes on Afghanistan in the 2nd Test of the two-match series which starts on Thursday. Get our latest expert Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan match tips, predictions and picks below.
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan 1st Test Information
- Venue: Queen’s Sports Club, Bulawayo
- Date: January 2-6
- Time: 10 am local (8.30 am GMT or 2 pm IST)
- How to Buy Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan 2nd Test Tickets? You can get all the information about this here.
What Have The Two Teams Done Recently?
Zimbabwe
The last time Zimbabwe won a Test was in March 2021 and that victory came against Afghanistan itself (check the head-to-head section below).
Since then, Zimbabwe has featured in seven Tests, drawing just one and losing six of them. This includes a four-wicket loss to Ireland in Belfast earlier this year which was their only Test played in 2024.
They played out a high-scoring draw in the first Test of this series on what turned out to be absolute belter of a pitch.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan are newbies in cricket but even more so in Tests having played just nine Tests (other than one abandoned earlier this year in Greater Noida).
They have won three and lost six with their victories coming against Ireland, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe – all of which came in spin-friendly conditions.
In less spinning conditions their bowlers struggled in the first innings as they conceded nearly 600 but then went on to take the lead.
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan Head-to-Head Stats
- Overall Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan Test Head-to-Head: There have been three previous Tests between these two teams and both have won one apiece with one match ending in a draw.
- The first two matches came as a part of a series held in Abu Dhabi in 2021.
- After getting a 258-run lead in the first innings of the opening Test thanks to Hasmatullah Shahidi’s 200*, Afghanistan were left to chase 108 in the final innings which they did for the loss of four wickets.
- Rashid Khan had grabbed 11 wickets in that encounter.
- This was followed by Zimbabwe routing Afghanistan by 10 wickets in the second match after bowling them out for 131 and 135 in the two innings.
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan 2nd Test Preview & Predictions with Latest Odds*
It’s no surprise that the bookmakers are now putting the draw as a favourite here with an offer of 11/10 for that result as compared to 6/4 if Afghanistan wins.
And the reason for that is quite obvious – the pitch on show for the first Test at this very ground in Bulawayo did not have too much for the bowlers. Zimbabwe piled up their best-ever Test score of 586 before Afghanistan responded with 699 – five batters getting centuries including two, near-250s.
The only hope from a point of view of the match not ending in a draw is the surface would have been baked under the sun over the last few days and even if they were to use a different one, there would have been enough exposure to the elements.
With very little turnaround time between the two games – just two days – there might be a chance of result here.
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan Match Winner
- Afghanistan to win: 6/4
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan Top Batsman
- Top Zimbabwe Batter – Ben Curran: 5/1
- Top Afghanistan Batter – Rahmat Shah: 4/1
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan Top Bowler
- Top Zimbabwe Bowler – Blessing Muzarabani: 3/1
- Top Afghanistan Bowler – Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar: 4/1
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan Toss Prediction
- Zimbabwe to win the toss: 10/11
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan Other Predictions
- Team of Top Batter – Afghanistan: 2/5
*odds correct at the time of writing.
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan Squads
Zimbabwe Squad: Craig Ervine (captain), Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Takudzwa Chataira, Johnathan Campbell, Trevor Gwandu, Joylord Gumbie, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Sikandar Raza, Nyasha Mayavo, Brandon Mavuta, Dion Myers, Blessing Muzarabani, Newman Nyamhuri, Richard Ngarava, Sean Williams
Afghanistan Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Ikram Alikhail, Rahmat Shah, Afsar Zazai, Riaz Hassan, Sediqullah Atal, Baheer Shah Mahboob, Abdul Malik, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ismat Alam, Naveed Zadran, Zia Ur Rehman Akbar, Zahir Khan, Rashid Khan, Zahir Shehzad, Bashir Ahmad Afghan, Yamin Ahmadzai, Fareed Ahmad Malik.
How to Watch Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan 2nd Test Live?
While Indian fans won’t be able to watch the live broadcast of this Zimbabwe v Afghanistan game on television, you can live stream it online using FanCode.
Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan Series Schedule
- 1st T20I: December 11 at Harare
- 2nd T20I: December 13 at Harare
- 3rd T20I: December 14 at Harare
- 1st ODI: December 17 at Harare
- 2nd ODI: December 19 at Harare
- 3rd ODI: December 21 at Harare
- 1st Test: December 26-30 at Bulawayo
- 2nd Test: January 2-6 at Bulawayo
