Written by Praise Dumi DhlakamaZimbabwe sports betting writer
Published 19 October 2026
Afghanistan 294 all out (50 overs): Atal 102, Zadran 90; Masuku 3-44, Evans 3/48, Muzarabani 2/68
Zimbabwe 136 all out (38.4 overs): Raza 48; Rashid 4-17, Farooqi 2/15
Afghanistan won by 158 runs
Zimbabwe’s batting collapse cost them dearly at the Sheikh Zayed Oval, where Afghanistan romped to an easy ODI Tri-Series victory, winning by 158 runs, just two days after Zimbabwe had beaten Bangladesh.
Top order folds inside 13 overs
Chasing 295, Zimbabwe lost their first four wickets inside 15 overs and never recovered. Fazalhaq Farooqi removed Ben Curran and a struggling Tafadzwa Tsiga, and Brendan Taylor was run out as the top order folded to 26-3 inside eight overs. Brian Bennett made 31 but fell at 43-4 after 12.5 overs, leaving Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl with a repair job that was always beyond them.
Raza and Burl hold, but too slowly
Their fifth wicket partnership was laborious. Raza was dropped by Azmatullah Omarzai after scoring 20 runs, but as they attempted to stabilise the innings, the required run rate ballooned. They were scoring at three an over and at that moment it was just a matter of time before scoreboard pressure told. Eventually they tried to shift gears and Rashid struck. He removed Burl first for 31 and then Raza for 48 to leave the Chevrons tottering at 124/7.
Afghanistan then wrapped up the match quickly, dismissing the tailenders as Zimbabwe suffered a heavy defeat.
Ervine’s absence leaves no anchor
The collapse was made worse by the absence of Craig Ervine, who made 93 in the previous match against Bangladesh but missed this fixture through injury. Without him, Zimbabwe’s top order had no anchor, and the innings never found the platform a 295 chase demands.
Atal and Zadran set the platform
Earlier, Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat first and lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 25 to Ernest Masuku. Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal then put on 140 for the second wicket, Zadran making 90 before falling to Brad Evans, and Atal going on to 102 from 110 balls.
A brilliant Masuku, in only his fourth ODI, returned career-best figures of 3-44, also removing Rahmat Shah and Omarzai. Evans took 3-48 and Blessing Muzarabani claimed two wickets despite conceding 68, as Zimbabwe took the last five Afghan wickets for 35 runs to restrict them to 294.
What’s next
Afghanistan next play Bangladesh on Wednesday, a match that will decide Zimbabwe’s fate in the final on Friday.
