Naveen-ul-Haq had a forgettable outing for Afghanistan in the first T20I of their ongoing three-match series against Zimbabwe. The fast bowler bowled one no-ball and four back-to-back wide deliveries during the 15th over of Zimbabwe's innings.
The first T20I of the Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan series took place at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday, December 11. Zimbabwe defeated Afghanistan by four wickets off the last ball of the match while chasing a 145-run target. Naveen-ul-Haq's poor performance in the 15th over had a major impact on the result.
While Naveen ended with figures of 3/33 in four overs, including one maiden, his spell included a 13-ball over, where he conceded seven extras. Naveen started with a wide to Brian Bennett, followed by a single on the next ball.
Sikandar Raza came on strike, and Naveen bowled a no-ball, which was dispatched by Raza to the boundary rope. Next, the Afghanistan pacer conceded four back-to-back wides, all outside the off stump.
Raza then smashed a four on the next legitimate delivery, which was the free hit, and lost his wicket on the third ball. New batter Ryan Burl and Bennett took singles on the next two deliveries. Naveen bowled one more wide to Burl before ending the over by conceding a single.
Naveen-ul-Haq gave away 10 runs in the 19th over in Zimbabwe's innings
After the disastrous 15th over from Naveen, Afghanistan pulled things back in the next three overs. Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman conceded only 17 runs off the next 18 balls, bringing the equation down to 21 runs from 12 balls.
Naveen-ul-Haq returned to bowl the 19th over. While he did not concede an extra, he still gave away 10 runs to Zimbabwe. Azmatullah Omarzai could not defend 11 runs off the final six balls as Afghanistan suffered their first T20I defeat against Zimbabwe on Zimbabwean soil.
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