Afghanistan Clinch Final Spot with Dominant Win Over Zimbabwe

Afghanistan secured their place in the upcoming tri-series final following a commanding 158-run victory against Zimbabwe at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Monday, October 19. Sediqullah Atal’s century and a clinical four-wicket performance from captain Rashid Khan pushed Afghanistan’s net run rate to +3.160, effectively forcing Zimbabwe and Bangladesh into a direct battle for the tournament’s remaining final berth.

Tasked with chasing 295, Zimbabwe required 196 runs to maintain their net run rate advantage and ensure the final on Friday, October 23, would be a repeat of this matchup. However, the batting lineup collapsed, finishing all out for just 136 in 38.4 overs. The slide began early with Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissing Ben Curran and Tafadzwa Tsiga, while a mix-up led to Brendan Taylor’s run-out. By the 13th over, AM Ghazanfar trapped Brian Bennett LBW, leaving Zimbabwe struggling at 43 for 4. Instead, they ended up getting bundled out for just 136. Once Bennett was trapped LBW by AM Ghazanfar in the 13th over, Zimbabwe were left reeling at 43 for 4, possibly abandoning their 295-run target and consigning themselves to reach 196 instead. Who struck the first ball of the innings for a boundary, teed off at one end, things continued to fall apart at the other with Brendan Taylor running himself out at the start of the eighth over, while Brian Bennett.

Sikandar Raza, who scored 48, and Ryan Burl, who contributed 31, offered a brief recovery with a 64-run partnership, reaching the 100-run mark in the 30th over. Rashid Khan quickly dismantled this resistance by trapping Burl LBW and later bowling Raza in the 36th over. The innings concluded in the 39th over following a run-out of Wellington Masakadza. Rashid finished with impressive figures of 4 for 17, while Farooqi claimed 2 for 15. With a boundary after 78 deliveries, taking Zimbabwe to 100 in the 30th over, there was a brief recovery through a 64-run stand between Ryan Burl and Sikandar Raza. Brief Scores: Afghanistan 294 all-out in 50 overs (Sediqullah Atal 102, Ibrahim Zadran 90; Brad Evans 3-48, Ernest Masuku 3-44) beat Zimbabwe 136 all-out in 38.4 overs (Sikandar Raza 48, Ryan Burl 31; Rashid Khan 4-17, F.

Earlier, after electing to bat, Afghanistan saw openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran provide a strong start, putting together a 50-run stand within seven overs. Though Gurbaz fell shortly after, Zadran and Atal stabilized the innings with a fluent century partnership. Zadran eventually departed for 90 in the 32nd over, caught off the bowling of Brad Evans. Despite quick dismissals for Rahmat Shah and Azmatullah Omarzai, a 42-run partnership between Atal and Hashmatullah Shahidi kept the team on course. Dismissing Ibrahim Zadran 10 runs short of his century, afghanistan had already raised the tempo by the 32nd over when Brad Evans finally broke through.

Atal reached his third ODI century in the 44th over before being run out in the next. While Afghanistan lost several wickets in the final four overs, their total of 294 proved more than sufficient to secure the win. Brad Evans and Ernest Masuku were the pick of the bowlers for Zimbabwe, both taking three wickets. The duo crafted a meticulous century stand and both reached fifties in the process. Afghanistan struck five boundaries in the last four overs but also lost just as many wickets to finish with less than 300.