Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the final of the United Arab Emirates Tri-Nation Series at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on 23 October 2026, chasing down a target of 170 with 93 balls to spare. Ibrahim Zadran was named player of the match for an unbeaten 70 off 96 balls, while Rashid Khan took 3/41 to keep Zimbabwe to 169.
How It Unfolded
Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bat first, but only Sikandar Raza got going. Raza made 68 off 83 balls with three fours and three sixes before he was caught. Ryan Burl added 31 off 45 balls and Blessing Muzarabani finished on 17 not out off 39 balls, but the innings closed on 169.
Afghanistan's spinners did the damage. Rashid Khan returned 3/41 from his ten overs, and Mohammad Nabi was the most economical bowler on show with 2/25 from ten overs, including a maiden. Bilal Sami took 2/27 and Fazalhaq Farooqi 2/41.
The chase was rarely in doubt. Rahmanullah Gurbaz set the tone with 36 off 31 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes. Ibrahim Zadran then anchored the innings, and he shared the bulk of the chase with Rahmat Shah, who made 43 off 63 balls. Zadran finished 70 not out with four fours and a six, and Hashmatullah Shahidi hit 7 not out off five balls as Afghanistan reached 170/3 in 34.3 overs.
Newman Nyamhuri was Zimbabwe's best bowler with 2/30 from six overs, and Wessly Madhevere took 1/8. Burl conceded 19 from his six overs without taking a wicket.
What's Next
The win completed Afghanistan's run through the event. Zimbabwe won the opening match by 99 runs, but Afghanistan then won the second match by 158 runs, the third by seven wickets with 87 balls remaining, and the final by seven wickets with 93 balls left. The full results are on the United Arab Emirates Tri-Nation Series hub, and the pre-match picture for this game is in the full Oracle call.
Source: Scorecard and the Oracle call.