Raza’s maiden ton tames Afghanistan

Opener Sikandar Raza blasted his first One-Day International century as Zimbabwe trounced Afghanistan by eight wickets in the second ODI at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.

Pakistan-born Raza smashed 141 from 133 balls and put on an opening stand of 224, the highest partnership in Zimbabwean limited overs cricket, alongside Hamilton Masakadza (93).

Earlier, having been put in to bat, Afghanistan ended their 50 overs on 256 for seven, with 17-year-old Usman Ghani scoring his first ODI century as he struck 118 from 143 balls.

But Zimbabwe lost two wickets as they reached their target with 39 balls to spare to take a 2-0 lead in the four match series after Friday’s six-wicket victory.

The third ODI will be played at the same venue on Tuesday.

Summarised scores

Afghanistan 256-7 in 50 overs (Usman Ghani 118; Sikandar Raza 2-25) lost to Zimbabwe 257-2 in 43.3 overs (Sikandar Raza 141, H. Masakadza 93) by eight wickets.