Afghanistan thrashed Zimbabwe 3-0 in the one-day international series in Harare on Thursday, but some weak batting led to a heavy season chasing a modest target.
Set just 136 for victory, the tourists slowly scored and lost wickets at 60-4 after the last ball of the 20th over.
Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (38) and Mohammad Nabi (34 not out) took the runs with patience and won by four wickets with 74 balls to spare.
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With the tourists to bat, Zimbabwe had their problems, with only Sikandar Raza (38) and Ryan Burle (21) making any impact, and they were all out for 135 in 44.5 overs.
By 60 runs and eight wickets after the previous win at Harares Play club, Afghanistan overtook England for second place in World Cup Super League Standings. They are 20 points behind Bangladesh after playing six matches less.
Top eight finishers from Super League qualify for 2023 World Cup India Whereas the other five nations in the table must go on to a 10-team tournament, with only two of them making it to the finals.
Afghanistan have won 10 of the 12 Super League matches, while a high-profile team like South Africa is ranked 11th and has won only four of the 13.
Zimbabwe batted poorly and the team hit just eight boundaries between them, while the only six came from lower-order batsman Milton Shumba.
Only Raza and Burle could make a meaningful contribution against the six-man Afghan attack, all of whom claimed at least one wicket.
Rashid Khan was the most successful Afghan bowler with three wickets while Nabi and Fazlhaq Farooqui took two wickets each.
Zimbabwe had dreamed of a surprise win with openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (7) and Ibrahim Zadran (8), Rahmat Shah (17) and Najibullah Zadran (9) being dismissed cheaply.
But Shahidi and Nabi smashed 38 off 70 balls with the captain hitting five fours, while Nabi scored 34 off 47 balls and was quick to hit two fours and a six.
Blessing Mujarbani (2-18) and Tendai Chatra (2-32) shared Zimbabwe’s bowling honors by two wickets each.
Afghanistan will now turn their attention to Twenty20 Internationals, playing against Zimbabwe in Harare on June 11, 12 and 14.
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