Shahzad spectacle gives Afghans series win

Afghanistan's complete annihilation of Zimbabwe continued beyond the 50-over format as Mohammad Shahzad, their flamboyant opener, belted the opposition bowlers all over the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium in the second Twenty20 international on Sunday (January 10), en route to a blistering 67-ball unbeaten knock of 118 in his team's thumping 2-0 series sweep.

With his onslaught, Shahzad became the first Afghanistan batsman to score a century in the shortest format of the game and the second from Association Nations - after Scotland's Richard Berrington. Shahzad's spectacular effort took him past the three-figure barrier in just 52 deliveries - the seventh fastest in T20Is.

In their quest for parity in the two-match T20I series, Zimbabwe asked Afghanistan to bat first. The move however, was disastrous as the Zimbabwean bowlers were put through a nightmare via Shahzad's menacing willow. The burly opener began his carnage in just the second over - with a big six down the ground. Having started on the front foot, Shahzad took his game to a new level as Afghanistan went from 45 for 1 in 7 overs to 113 for 1 in 11 overs with the opener tonking six sixes and five fours in that period.

A wicket after this frenzied period of batting should've come as respite for the Zimbabweans but Shahzad gave them no reason to sustain their happiness and sense of relief, as his onslaught continued. In the 14th over, Shahzad brought up a sensational century, off just 52 balls and carried his bat to add 18 more runs to his tally as Afghanistan posted 215 for 6.

Zimbabwe needed a batsman - or two - to step it up to the effect or even better Shahzad's brilliance but that wasn't to be. In the face of a mammoth chase, Zimbabwe crashed and burned early, stumbling to 34 for 5 in the 6th over. The task was as daunting as it could get but Hamilton Masakadza and Peter Moor put on a 56-ball 77-run stand for the sixth wicket to show a few traces of a fight still left in the otherwise empty Zimbabwean tank.

The duo however, fell in the space of five deliveries to bring down the curtains on Zimbabwe's chase. Masakadza's 44-ball 63 was a rare bright spot on a day that was largely meant to be forgotten for the Zimbabwean cricketers as they were bundled out for 134, falling short of the target by 81 runs.

Brief scores:

Afghanistan 215 for 6 in 20 overs (Mohammad Shahzad 118*; Tendai Chisoro 1-24) beat Zimbabwe 134 in 18.1 overs (Hamilton Masakadza 63; Amir Hamza 2-15) by 81 runs