Afghanistan slump to shocking defeat vs Zimbabwe; hosts keep series alive

Zimbabwe pulled off quite a coup at the Harare Sports Club, defending 129 against Afghanistan from almost a point of no return to win the third One-Day International by 3 runs on Tuesday, thus keeping the five-match series alive at 1-2 in favour of the visitors.

Relatively cruising at 121 for 5 in the 27th over, Afghanistan must have fancied chasing 130 comfortably, and for the right reasons. Captain Asghar Stanikzai's 31 off 33 balls had already rendered the target significantly smaller than it was, but in what was a collapse of stunning proportions, the visitors lost their last five wickets for mere five runs, shutting down to 126 in just the 30th over.

It was Chris Mpofu and Sean Williams's twosome that administered the coup de grace. Mpofu kick-started it all by picking the wickets of Samiullah Shenwari and Najibullah Zadran off consecutive deliveries in his fourth over - that happened to be the 27th of the innings - but pretty much offset it by conceding 10 runs in that very over.

It was only when Sean Williams picked Mohammad Nabi in the over that followed, having Afghanistan eight down with six runs to win, that Zimbabwe were catapulted into the reckoning.

The two bowlers struck with one wicket apiece in the overs that followed and stunned Zimbabwe into an unexpected loss.