Rashid sinks Zimbabwe as tri-series final place hangs on Wednesday
ABU DHABI – Zimbabwe’s place in the UAE ODI Tri-Series final will be decided by Wednesday’s match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Afghanistan beat the African side by 158 runs at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium last night.
Rashid Khan took four for 17 in eight overs as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 136 in 38.4 overs, chasing 295. According to ESPNcricinfo, it is Afghanistan’s fourth-biggest ODI victory.
Fazalhaq Farooqi took two for 15, and Zimbabwe were reduced to 26 for three inside eight overs. Captain Sikandar Raza (48) and Ryan Burl (31) added 64 for the fifth wicket. Once Rashid separated them, Zimbabwe lost their last six wickets for 29 runs.
Brendan Taylor, speaking at the presentation, said the conditions and the toss did not account for the margin.
“It probably was slightly better to bat. It was always going to swing more in the lights,” Taylor said. “So we just totally got outperformed today, outplayed, and there’s a lot of discussion, a lot of work to be done in the next few days. Only wasted if we don’t learn from it.”
Earlier, Zimbabwe’s seamers took nine wickets for 104 runs after Afghanistan reached 190 for one. Player of the Match Sediqullah Atal scored 102 and Ibrahim Zadran 90. Ernest Masuku and Brad Evans took three wickets each as
Afghanistan were bowled out for 294.
Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 99 runs in the opening match. If Afghanistan beat Bangladesh in Sharjah on Wednesday, Zimbabwe reach Thursday’s final. A Bangladesh win would leave all three sides on one win each.
The tour is part of Zimbabwe’s preparation for the 2027 World Cup, which they co-host with South Africa and Namibia. Afghanistan are one of their Group A opponents, and the two sides meet in Bulawayo on 11 October 2027.
