Afghanistan will again bank on Rashid Khan to torment Zimbabwe. © Getty

Afghanistan have barely taken their foot off the pedal in the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe. Following the 2-0 drubbing they handed to Zimbabwe in the T20I series, they have now started the ODI series on an emphatic note by downing their opponents through Rahmat Shah's hundred and Rashid Khan's yet another clinical show - he picked up 4 for 26. With a turnaround time of only a day in between the two games, there's little chance for Zimbabwe to overhaul their methods. However, that will not mean that Zimbabwe turn up dispirited.

Afghanistan ticked a few important boxes in the opening win with their top three getting among the runs, especially Mohammad Shahzad, who on his comeback during the T20I series, returned poor figures. With a pacey 36 though, he seems to be finding his own again. Rahmat Shah's hundred and Najibullah Zadran's swashbuckling unbeaten 81 only strengthened their chances better. On the bowling front, Afghanistan are taken well care of by their star spinner Rashid Khan, who has found new ways of strangulating the opponents.

Zimbabwe's overdependence on the likes of Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor shows and their failure on the tour has meant that they have been winless thus far. There's a lot of promise in their batting lineup though with Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza and Malcolm Waller in there. So if Zimbabwe are entertaining chances of a comeback, it has to be created with these building blocks. The new ball bowlers were sent on a ride in the previous game and Graeme Cremer with his three wickets could have done only as much. Overall, there's a lot of fixing that each of the departments demand and lest they are able to do so, there's little chance that Zimbabwe would be able to turn the tide.

When: Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, 2nd ODI, Feb 11, 2.30 PM Local, 4 PM IST

Where: Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah

What to expect: Once again, it will be a sunny day in the office with temperatures hovering around the 25-degree-Celsius mark.

What they said:

Our bowling at the back end - the last 10-15 overs - we lost our way. That's a bit of concern. Batting in the middle overs - from over 10 to 30 - we need to improve: Zimbabwe skipper Graeme Cremer said after succumbing to an embarrassing loss in the first ODI.

If we make 270, we knew we could defend with Rashid [Khan]. Happy with the win: Afghanistan skipper Asghar Stanikzai exuded confidence in his most destructive weapon.

Teams:

Zimbabwe (from): Hamilton Masakadza, Solomon Mire, Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor, Sikandar Raza, Peter Moor, Malcolm Waller, Graeme Cremer(c), Brian Vitori, Tendai Chisoro, Blessing Muzarabani, Ryan Burl, Tendai Chatara, Kyle Jarvis

Afghanistan (from): Asghar Stanikzai(c), Mohammad Shahzad, Javed Ahmadi, Ihsanullah Janat, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shenwari, Nasir Jamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Zadran, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran