Omarzai’s Blitz Outshines Raza as Afghanistan Survive Sharjah Thriller

Sharjah: Afghanistan were 5 for 4. By the halfway mark of their innings they had mustered 45. What followed was an innings that defied the logic of the scorecard, and a chase that came close to defying it in turn.

Azmatullah Omarzai produced a sensational 116 to haul Afghanistan to 221 for 7, and Sikandar Raza responded with an unbeaten 106 of his own. The difference between them, in the end, was 19 runs and a series sealed at 2-0 with one match to spare.

A Collapse That Defied Belief

Asked to bat first, Afghanistan lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mohammad Akram to ducks inside the first over, both falling to Brad Evans. Captain Ibrahim Zadran laboured through nine balls for a single run before departing, Shahidullah Kamal nicked behind soon after, and Sediqullah Atal fell at the start of the ninth over.

At 38 for 5, Afghanistan would have accepted any total in three figures. The recovery that followed was scarcely believable.

6️⃣.6️⃣.4️⃣.6️⃣.4️⃣ and a magnificent HUNDRED! 💯💯

Sensational Stuff from @AzmatOmarzay! 👏👏

#AfghanAtalan | #AFGvZIM | #GloriousNationVictoriousTeam https://t.co/OJ96kXWZwp

— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 29, 2026

Omarzai and Ijaz Ahmadzai attacked from the moment they came together. Both struck a six apiece off Ryan Burl in the 11th over, and from there the innings gathered an irresistible momentum. Every subsequent over produced double-digit returns, the lowest being an 11-run 13th from Ernest Masuku. Omarzai reached his fifty in 31 balls and kept swinging, wrecking Evans’ figures in a 27-run 17th over during which he brought up a 44-ball hundred.

The pair put on 142 for the sixth wicket. Ahmadzai brought up his half-century in the next over before falling for 52, but Omarzai continued to tear into Raza’s bowling. The Zimbabwe captain eventually dismissed him, but not before Omarzai had smashed 12 sixes in a 116-run onslaught. Rashid Khan added the final flourish, reeling off four sixes from the last over bowled by Kundai Matigimu.

Raza’s One-Man Resistance

Zimbabwe’s chase began brightly, Innocent Kaia racing away in a 16-run opening over. Omarzai, continuing a dream outing, ended a 37-run stand in the fourth over when Kaia fell for 25. Brian Bennett’s brisk start was cut short in the final over of the Powerplay, and Zimbabwe wobbled, losing three wickets in as many overs. Rashid ticked off a significant milestone during that passage, becoming the first man to 200 T20I scalps.

At 82 for 5, the chase appeared finished. The asking rate climbed above 15 and the Sharjah humidity took its toll on Raza, who was regularly reduced to his haunches. It did not deter him. He counter-punched, brought up his fifty off 34 balls, and kept Zimbabwe in the contest even as the required rate reached 21 at the start of the 18th over.

Afghanistan’s composure frayed. Akram shelled a chance and palmed the ball over the ropes, compounding the pressure. But Shahidullah Kamal delivered a 10-run over that left Zimbabwe needing 36 from the last six balls. The target proved beyond reach.

Raza finished unbeaten on 106, sharing an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 120 with Tafadzwa Tsiga, who contributed 31 not out. It was another of his famed one-man efforts, and another that went in vain.

Rashid’s final-over blitz with the bat, a footnote beside Omarzai’s brilliance, proved decisive in the final accounting.

Brief scores: Afghanistan 221/7 in 20 overs (Azmatullah Omarzai 116, Ijaz Ahmadzai 52, Rashid Khan 25; Brad Evans 2-40) beat Zimbabwe 202/5 in 20 overs (Sikandar Raza 106, Tafadzwa Tsiga 31*; Abdullah Ahmadzai 2-34, Rashid Khan 1-29) by 19 runs.

                                               

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