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Mehluli Sibanda in BULAWAYO
AFGHANISTAN posted an historic win over Zimbabwe when they secured a tense two-wicket triumph in the third One-Day International cricket match at Queens yesterday.
It turned out to be an edgy finish with the Afghans requiring seven runs from the last over and won the match with two balls to spare.
Dawlat Zadran, who came in to bat at number nine, was the hero for the tourists with the six off Shingirai Masakadza which sealed off the win.

Zimbabwe, sent in to bat first, had posted 261-8 in 50 overs, with opener Hamilton Masakadza and skipper Brendan Taylor chipping in with half centuries.
Mohammad Javi was the top scorer for the visitors with 56 runs while some late hitting from the tail-enders won it for Afghanistan.

Masakadza was voted man-of-the-match for his 93-ball 84 runs.
Yesterday’s result now makes it an interesting scenario going into the fourth and final ODI at the same venue tomorrow.

Zimbabwe needs a win to clinch the series 3-1- while a victory for Afghanistan will see the series ending in a 2-2 stalemate.
Zimbabwe’s opening pair of Hamilton Masakadza and Sikandar Raza yielded 36 runs, Raza being the first to go when he fell to Aftab Alam, caught by Nasir Jamal for 11 runs.

Masakadza and skipper Brendan Taylor put on 109 runs for the second wicket, Masakadza again missing out on a century, out for 84, dismissed by Dawlat Zadran. Taylor scored 53 runs prior to being run out by Zadran.

Malcolm Waller only contributed 15 runs prior to becoming Zadran’s second victim.
Williams fell one short of his half century, dismissed by Sharafuddin Ashraf, taken at mid wicket by skipper Mohammad Nabi. Requiring 5.24 runs per over, Afghanistan were given a bright start by their openers Mohammad Javid and Usman Ghani who scored at above the needed run rate.