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Sharjah. — Afghanistan’s batting can be like a petulant teenager. They can be impulsive and reckless. They have played to the gallery when they should have played the situation. They have often been their own worst enemy.

But 2015 has witnessed their coming of age and they signed off with a victory that was built on a level-headed chase and their ability to withstand pressure when it came. Afghanistan ran down 254 with 14 balls in the bank and a top-order batsman out in the middle as Mohammad Shahzad recorded the highest score for his team in ODIs — 131 not out off 133 balls.

Afghanistan will savour going 2-0 up, but they were nearly undone by a bit of stage fright as they neared the finish line. They had pushed Zimbabwe to the limit by playing assured and sensible cricket. The Sharjah fans had begun thinking of an early finish and a lengthy party.

And Elton Chigumbura who had bowled only twice since March 2015, was forced to bring himself on. It was a last throw of the dice and it nearly worked.

Four balls in, Mohammad Nabi was run out. First ball of Chigumbura’s third over brought the wicket of Asghar Stanikzai and the last ball of his fourth over fetched the wicket of Samiullah Shenwari.

Afghanistan had cobbled together only 30 runs in nine overs until the 40th, and they went into the final 10 without the big-hitting Najibullah Zadran, who was another Chigumbura victim.

But Shahzad was still there and he proved the difference. He has mirrored Afghanistan’s growth as a batting unit.

The brain freezes of the past gave way to an innings of poise and control. His power was hidden away until he was well set enough to minimise the risk in those heaves over the leg side.

He trundled through the Powerplay and emerged from the first 10 overs with only three fours. He reached his fifty with a six, but was still accumulating at less than a run a ball.

The problem for Zimbabwe was that he had been out there for 19 overs — ample time to understand a slow and low Sharjah pitch and assess the opposition’s biggest threats.

Shahzad got into the nineties with a six too, having taken 41 runs off his last 39 balls. He finished with seven fours and eight sixes, the most by a batsman from an Associate nation in ODIs. — Cricinfo.