Afghanistan and Zimbabwe meet in the 2nd T20I of their series on Thursday, 29 October 2026. Afghanistan have won 19 of 21 T20I meetings, yet both sides arrive in uneven recent form. This CricStats preview uses head-to-head records, form and player data to outline what the numbers suggest.
Head-to-Head: A One-Sided T20I Record
Afghanistan lead the all-time T20I record 19-2 from 21 meetings, a win rate of roughly 90%. The first meeting came in 2015, and Zimbabwe's two wins are the only exceptions in a long run of Afghan success.
CricStats' last 10 decisive meetings show a similar split: Afghanistan 90%, Zimbabwe 10%. The sample is small, but the direction is consistent.
| Metric | Value |
|---|
| T20Is played | 21 |
| Afghanistan wins | 19 |
| Zimbabwe wins | 2 |
| First meeting | 2015 |
| Last 10 decisive meetings | Afghanistan 90%, Zimbabwe 10% |
Most Recent Meetings
Afghanistan have won each of the last five meetings, all at Harare Sports Club. Two of those were tight: a 9-run win and a 3-wicket win with three balls remaining.
| Date | Result | Venue |
|---|
| 2 Nov 2025 | Afghanistan won by 9 runs | Harare Sports Club |
| 31 Oct 2025 | Afghanistan won by 7 wickets (12 balls remaining) | Harare Sports Club |
| 29 Oct 2025 | Afghanistan won by 53 runs | Harare Sports Club |
| 14 Dec 2024 | Afghanistan won by 3 wickets (3 balls remaining) | Harare Sports Club |
| 13 Dec 2024 | Afghanistan won by 50 runs | Harare Sports Club |
Recent Form: Both Sides Short of Momentum
Neither team arrives with a strong run. Afghanistan have won 3 and lost 6 of their last 9 completed T20Is, a 33% win rate. Zimbabwe have won 2 and lost 8 of their last 10, a 20% win rate.
| Team | Recent record | Win rate |
|---|
| Afghanistan | 3 won, 6 lost (9 matches) | 33% |
| Zimbabwe | 2 won, 8 lost (10 matches) | 20% |
Afghanistan's Latest Results
Afghanistan's most recent five results include three defeats to India, a 48-run win over Japan and a 5-wicket loss to Nepal. The India margins were large, including a 127-run defeat on 17 September 2026.
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|
| 25 Sep 2026 | Nepal | Lost by 5 wickets (16 balls remaining) |
| 24 Sep 2026 | Japan | Won by 48 runs |
| 17 Sep 2026 | India | Lost by 127 runs |
| 15 Sep 2026 | India | Lost by 7 wickets (31 balls remaining) |
| 13 Sep 2026 | India | Lost by 7 wickets (38 balls remaining) |
Zimbabwe's Latest Results
Zimbabwe's last five matches produced two wins, both against Namibia, and three defeats to South Africa. One of those wins came by only 5 runs.
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|
| 6 Sep 2026 | South Africa | Lost by 48 runs |
| 3 Sep 2026 | Namibia | Won by 5 wickets (11 balls remaining) |
| 1 Sep 2026 | South Africa | Lost by 43 runs |
| 31 Aug 2026 | Namibia | Won by 5 runs |
| 29 Aug 2026 | South Africa | Lost by 7 wickets (38 balls remaining) |
Players in Form Over the Last 12 Months
Squads are not confirmed, so the names below are players who have been in form, not certain starters. Runs per innings and wickets per match are derived from the totals.
Batting Form
Ibrahim Zadran has the highest runs-per-innings figure in this group at 42.2. Brian Bennett has scored the most runs overall, with 620.
Bowling Form
| Player | Team | Wickets | Matches | Wickets per match |
|---|
| Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 18 | 12 | 1.50 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Afghanistan | 18 | 13 | 1.38 |
| Abdollah Ahmadzai | Afghanistan | 18 | 10 | 1.80 |
| Brad Evans | Zimbabwe | 32 | 20 | 1.60 |
| Blessing Muzarabani | Zimbabwe | 26 | 17 | 1.53 |
| Richard Ngarava | Zimbabwe | 17 | 11 | 1.55 |
Zimbabwe's bowlers have the larger wicket totals, led by Brad Evans with 32. Abdollah Ahmadzai has the best wickets-per-match rate among the six at 1.80.
Top Performers in This Fixture Since 2021
Historical output in this specific fixture adds context. Sikandar Raza leads the run charts with 225 runs in 9 innings, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman has taken the most wickets with 11.
| Category | Player | Team | Total |
|---|
| Runs | Sikandar Raza | Zimbabwe | 225 in 9 innings |
| Runs | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Afghanistan | 207 in 8 innings |
| Runs | Brian Bennett | Zimbabwe | 194 in 6 innings |
| Wickets | Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Afghanistan | 11 |
| Wickets | Naveen-ul-Haq | Afghanistan | 8 |
| Wickets | Ryan Burl | Zimbabwe | 8 |
CricStats Prediction: What the Numbers Suggest
The CricStats data lean combines the head-to-head record with recent form. It is computed from the database rather than estimated by hand.
| Input | Reading |
|---|
| Head-to-head, last 10 decisive meetings | Afghanistan 90%, Zimbabwe 10% |
| Afghanistan recent win rate | 33% |
| Zimbabwe recent win rate | 20% |
| Overall data lean | Afghanistan 73%, Zimbabwe 27% |
On the numbers, Afghanistan are clear favourites at 73% to 27%. The gap is driven mainly by the head-to-head record, since Afghanistan's recent win rate of 33% is itself modest.
This is a statistical lean, not a certainty. T20 cricket has high variance, and Zimbabwe have won this fixture before.