Zimbabwe have little time to lick their wounds.

Just days after Afghanistan beat them by seven wickets in the ODI tri-series final, the two sides meet again at the same ground, this time in three T20Internationals on 27 October, 29 October and 1 November. Each match starts at 6:30 PM local time, which is 4:30 PM in Harare, so supporters back home can follow from the late afternoon.

The record: a steep hill to climb

The head-to-head is dire. Zimbabwe have won only two of their previous 21 T20I meetings with Afghanistan, and Afghanistan swept last year’s three-match series in Harare 3-0, even though Zimbabwe had won the one-off Test earlier in the same tour.

Zimbabwe arrive short of rhythm in the format. Their most recent T20I assignment was a tri-series in September, which they lost to South Africa in the final by 48 runs. There is a positive to hold on to, though: Blessing Muzarabani was named in the T20 World Cup Team of the Tournament, and he leads the attack here.

Conditions and par score

Sharjah has a reputation for slow, low pitches that reward spinners and bowlers who take pace off the ball. The new ball tends to come onto the bat, and the short boundaries help in the powerplay, but the surface usually grips more as the game wears on. Expect hot, dry weather, around 35°C in the day and 29°C in the evening, with no rain forecast.

The numbers back up the slow-pitch story. Across 75 T20Is at the venue, the average first-innings score is 145 and the average second-innings score is 123. Sides batting first have won 44 of those matches and sides chasing 31.

Some previews lean towards bowling first, because chasing against a slowing surface and Afghanistan’s spinners is hard, but the venue record tilts mildly the other way, so the toss is worth watching. As a rough guide, 145 is the historical par, and our own estimate is that anything from 150 to 160 should be competitive.

Fast outfields and short boundaries can still produce fireworks: the highest T20I total at Sharjah, 215/6, came in an Afghanistan v Zimbabwe match, in the game where Mohammad Shahzad made 118 in 2016.

Zimbabwe: the squad

Sikandar Raza (Captain), Ben Curran, Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans, Brian Bennett, Innocent Kaia, Kundai Matigimu, Newman Nyamhuri, Ryan Burl, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Vincent Masekesa, Wellington Masakadza, Wessly Madhevere

Note: Kundai Matigimu replaces Brad Evans for the final T20I.

Afghanistan: the squad

brahim Zadran (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Noor Rahman, Sediqullah Atal, Mohammad Akram, Shahidullah Kamal, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Abdullah Tarakhail, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Farid Ahmad Malik

The battles to watch

The headline contest is Raza against Rashid. In previous T20 meetings Rashid has dismissed Zimbabwe’s captain four times, conceding 77 runs off 73 balls, so how Raza handles the legspinner could shape the middle overs. Up front, Atal and Gurbaz will look to use Sharjah’s short boundaries in the powerplay against Muzarabani’s bounce and Evans’s discipline. If Zimbabwe can take early wickets, the pressure shifts to Afghanistan’s middle order against Masakadza, Burl and Raza himself.

The verdict

On record and recent form, Afghanistan are clear favourites, and Zimbabwe will not pretend otherwise. But T20 cricket can turn on a good powerplay or one big partnership, and Zimbabwe have players capable of both. Their path is plain enough: win a toss that suits them, avoid a collapse against the spinners, and give Muzarabani and the seamers a total to defend. A first win over Afghanistan in this format would be a notable result for Zimbabwe. The Test series that follows from 5 November gives both sides another chance to settle matters.

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