Kaia, Burl half-centuries lift Zimbabwe to 228 against Afghans

• Innocent Kaia scores half-century in his second ODI.
• Zimbabwe posted 228 after being sent in to bat.
• Fareed Ahmad took three wickets for 56 runs.

Innocent Kaia scored a half-century in only his second one-day international as Zimbabwe posted 228 after being sent in to bat against Afghanistan at Harare Sports Club on Monday.

The opening batsman debuted last Saturday in the first match of three and was the second highest scorer for the hosts with 39 runs.

Second time round, Kaia top scored with 63 off 74 balls, including one six and six fours, before being caught by wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz off the bowling of Fareed Ahmad.

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Middle-order Ryan Burl was the other Zimbabwean to score a half century, finishing unbeaten on 51, with the knock patiently constructed off 61 deliveries and including two fours and one six.

Left-arm fast medium Ahmad returned the best figures among the Afghan bowlers, taking three wickets for 56 runs.

A victory for Afghanistan will clinch the series ahead of the final match on Thursday as they won the opening game last Saturday by 60 runs.

Read More: Cricket: Zimbabwe v Afghanistan 1st ODI scoreboard

Brief scores

Zimbabwe 228 (Innocent Kaia 63, Ryan Burl 51 not out, Sikandar Raza 40, Craig Ervine 32; Fareed Ahmad 3-56, Mohammad Nabi 2-31, Fazalhaq Farooqi 2-34, Rashid Khan 2-56) vs Afghanistan