Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets with 71 balls remaining in the third T20I at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on 1 November 2026. Noor Ahmad was the player of the match after taking 5/13 in 3.3 overs as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 79. Afghanistan reached the target of 80 in 8.1 overs to finish on 81/3.
How It Unfolded
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to field first. Zimbabwe never recovered from Noor Ahmad's spell. Ryan Burl top-scored with 30 off 29 balls, including five fours, before he was out lbw. Wessly Madhevere made 10 off 17 balls and was stumped, while Newman Nyamhuri added 9 off 10 balls. Ernest Masuku made 6, Innocent Kaia 5 and Brian Bennett 2.
Noor Ahmad finished with 5/13. Abdullah Tarakhail took 2/14 from his three overs, and Fazalhaq Farooqi (1/10) and Azmatullah Omarzai (1/13) took a wicket each.
Afghanistan's chase was over quickly. Sediqullah Atal made 20 off 14 balls with two fours and a six, and Mohammad Akram struck three fours in a five-ball 14. Noor ul Rahman fell lbw for 0. Ibrahim Zadran finished unbeaten on 25 off 17 balls with four fours, and Omarzai hit two sixes in an unbeaten 18 off 12 balls to complete the win.
Masuku was Zimbabwe's best bowler with 2/21 from two overs. Blessing Muzarabani took 1/31 from three overs, and Nyamhuri went for 23 from his three.
What's Next
Afghanistan won the first T20I by 37 runs and the second by 19 runs, so this result gives them a 3-0 lead with two matches to play. That puts the series beyond Zimbabwe's reach, and the CricMind Oracle now rates Afghanistan 100% to win it. The remaining fixtures and every result are on the Zimbabwe tour of United Arab Emirates 2026/27 hub, and the Oracle's record across all matches is on the Oracle report card.
Source: Scorecard and the Oracle call.