Afghanistan make four changes, hand Tarakhail debut in final T20I

Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran opted to bowl first in the third and final T20I against Zimbabwe at Sharjah. It marked the first instance where Afghanistan were bowling first in the three-match series.

Afghanistan made as many as four changes for this contest, handing a debut to 25-year-old batting allrounder Abdullah Tarakhail. Mujeeb ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmed, Shahidullah Kamal, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz were all benched for this contest, while Fazal Haq Farooqi, Noor Ahmed, and wicketkeeper Noor ul Rahman were the three other players who came into the Afghanistan XI.

Zimbabwe also made two changes to their side, with Blessing Muzarabani and Newman Nyamhuri returning to the side after being declared fit. Brad Evans - who was unavailable because of what Sikandar Raza said was a "family reason" - and Kundai Matigimu missed out on selection.

The pitch for this contest is the same as the one used for the first T20I, on which the pacers picked up 13 wickets. While it had a tinge of green, the grass was not as extravagant as on the pitch for the previous game - played on a different surface - which had also contained extra moisture. Naveen-ul-Haq, the Afghanistan pacer and a part of the broadcast team, believed that this game's pitch would play slow after the first few overs.

Afghanistan lead the series 2-0 and have already recorded their eighth-straight T20I series win, and will be on the lookout for a series sweep.

Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran (capt), Mohammad Akram, Sediqullah Atal, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Noor ul Rahman (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Abdullah Tarakhail, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Innocent Kaia, Sikandar Raza (capt), Ryan Burl, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Wessly Madhevere, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Ernest Masuku, Newman Nyamhuri, Vincent Masekesa, Blessing Muzarabani.