Rashid trips up Zimbabwe, Nabi seals the deal
An all-round effort from the bowlers restricted Zimbabwe to a below-par score in Sharjah, following which Nabi's 27-ball blitz ensured Afghanistan chased the target down with more than five overs to spare
At first, Afghanistan's decision to field looked like it would come back to bite them. Solomon Mire and Hamilton Masakadza were batting like they'd help Zimbabwe to a big total as 16-year-old Mujeeb Zadran and pacer Sharafuddin Ashraf took some early blows. Yet the captain Asghar Stanikzai held his trump card back.
If one removes Mire's 21-ball 34 and Malcolm Waller's unbeaten 27, then Zimbabwe's batting paints a sorry picture. From 52 for 0 in 5.4 overs, they finished at 120 for 9 after 20, adding only 68 runs in the final 86 balls.
Hard-hitting wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad, who returned after serving a ban for a doping code violation, gave Afghanistan's chase a flying start after his partner Karim Sadiq perished for five.
Sreshth Shah is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo