Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe prediction, team news, pitch report and betting tips for 1st Test

Afghanistan and Zimbabwe meet in Sharjah on Thursday, November 5 (11.30 a.m. IST) for the first of two Tests, on a ground that has not staged the format in a decade. The last one, in 2016, ended with West Indies chasing 154 against Pakistan. Since then, Sharjah has hosted 76 men's white-ball games and earned a name for slow, low-bouncing pitches and a sluggish outfield, with temperatures above 36 degrees forecast. Zimbabwe are likely to give a debut to Antum Naqvi, the Belgian-born batter with six hundreds in 24 first-class matches. Brian Bennett captains because Richard Ngarava has a back problem, and Sikandar Raza is missing. Afghanistan are without Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, so Rahmat Shah leads a side coming off a draw with Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi. MORE:   Virat Kohli vs. Babar Azam: Who is the greatest? Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe prediction: Who will win? Afghanistan and Zimbabwe have each won two of their five meetings, with one draw, so nothing in the history separates them. Sharjah is the real opponent here. The surface is slow, the bounce is low and the outfield is sluggish, so runs will be hard to come by and the spinners will matter more than the quicks. That helps Afghanistan, who have Qais Ahmed and Zia-ur-Rehman, and it also helps Zimbabwe if Graeme Cremer or Vincent Masekesa play. Zimbabwe's batting is full of experience but short of big names, with Raza missing and a debutant in Naqvi. Afghanistan lack Rashid Khan, Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, yet Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi give them a steadier top order. Afghanistan are also more used to these conditions. TSN Prediction:  Afghanistan to win. MAKE YOUR BET WITH DAFABET AND GET UP TO 200% WELCOME BONUS MORE:   Get the latest breaking news and opinion on Cricket News Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe pitch report, 1st Test: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Stat Detail Total matches 9 Matches won batting first 4 Matches won bowling first 4 Average 1st innings score 352 Average 2nd innings score 352 Average 3rd innings score 212 Average 4th innings score 176 Highest total recorded 690/10 (143.1 overs) by NZ vs. PAK Lowest total recorded 53/10 (24.5 overs) by PAK vs. AUS Highest score chased 302/5 (57.3 overs) by PAK vs. SL Lowest score defended 156/10 (60.3 overs) by ENG vs. PAK Head-to-head in Test: Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe Stat Zimbabwe Afghanistan Matches 4 4 Won 1 2 Lost 2 1 Drawn 1 1 Tied 0 0 Wins by venue type Venue type Zimbabwe Afghanistan Home 0 0 Away 1 1 Neutral 0 1 Recent Test matches Match Date Afghanistan Zimbabwe Result 2nd Test Jan. 2, 2025 157 and 363 243 and 205 Afghanistan won by 72 runs 1st Test Dec. 26, 2024 699 586 and 142/4 Match drawn 2nd Test Mar. 10, 2021 545/4 dec and 108/4 287 and 365 f/o Afghanistan won by 6 wickets 1st Test Mar. 2, 2021 131 and 135 250 and 17/0 Zimbabwe won by 10 wickets Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe betting tips for 1st Test Here is our favourite betting angle for Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe: BETTING TIP ODDS   Afghanistan under 2.5 runs in the 1st over of their first innings    1.69 via  Dafabet Dafabet MAKE YOUR BET WITH DAFABET AND GET UP TO 200% WELCOME BONUS CLICK TO BET Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe predicted lineups, team news for 1st Test Here's how we think both sides will line up in this game. Afghanistan predicted lineup Sediqullah Atal, Abdul Malik, Shahidullah, Rahmat Shah (c), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Ismal Alam, Qais Ahmed, Zia-ur-Rehman, Yamin Ahmadzai, Mohammad Saleem Zimbabwe predicted lineup Innocent Kaia, Ben Curran, Brendan Taylor, Brian Bennett (c), Craig Ervine, Antum Naqvi, Wessly Madhevere, Brad Evans, Graeme Cremer, Kundai Matigimu, Blessing Muzarabani Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe Odds: Who is the favourite for the 1st Test? Result Afghanistan   Zimbabwe Dafabet Odds 1.53   2.36 BET HERE: Best cricket betting sites in India How to watch Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe Test match: Live stream, TV channel Here is all the key information for how to watch Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe 1st test: Date: November 5 Venue: Sharjah Cricket stadium, Sharjah Time: 10:30 a.m. (IST) TV/Stream: FanCode