Zimbabwe Chevros had the rains to thank after rain played spoilsport in opening ODI against Afghanistan which was called off after just 9.2 overs of play.
The tell-tale signs of another humiliating defeat were visible for Zimbabe as they found themselves on 44-5 inside 10 overs.
The persistent rain delayed the start of the match by close to four hours with the game reduced to a 28-overs-a-side affair.
When the weather finally cleared, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi who won the toss had no hesitation to bowl considering the overhead conditions.
For Afghanistan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz was ruled out of the series due to a quadriceps injury along with a bony hip flexor injury, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman was rested from the series.
Zimbabwe handed debuts to left-hand batter Ben Curran and left-arm seamer Newman Nyamhuri.
Shahidi’s decision to field was vindicated with both Azmatullah Omarzai and Fazalhaq Farooqi getting oodles of movement both off the pitch and in the air. It was a tough initiation for Curran, who was beaten by Farooqi’s away movement in the opening over.
In the fourth over, Omarzai produced a delivery that swung back sharply to bowl Tadiwanashe Marumani for six with only 10 runs on the board.
He struck again with the very next ball, as Brian Bennett edged a perfectly pitched outswinger to Mohammad Nabi, who took a brilliant catch at slip.
Curran and Dion Myers (12) attempted to rebuild the innings, taking Zimbabwe to 41 before the off-spinner AM Ghazanfar trapped Myers lbw in the seventh over.
Omarzai returned in the next over to continue his destruction.
Curran, who had battled determinedly, edged a drive to the wicketkeeper to depart for 15 and, three balls later, Sean Williams also fell to Omarzai, beaten by late movement and caught behind as Zimbabwe slumped to 41 for five.
Captain Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza could only manage a single run each as they fought to steady the innings before the rain returned with Zimbabwe reeling at 44 for five in 9.2 overs.
Omarzai was the standout performer, finishing with outstanding bowling figures of four wickets for 18 runs in 4.2 overs.
The two teams will now shift focus to the second ODI, scheduled for Thursday at the same venue. Game-ON,CricInfo,ZC media.
