Afghanistan won the UAE ODI tri-series, beating Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the final at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium on 23 October 2026. Zimbabwe chose to bat and were bowled out for 169 in 43.3 overs. Afghanistan reached 170 for 3 with 93 balls to spare, Ibrahim Zadran finishing unbeaten on 70.
Final at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Match | UAE ODI tri-series, final |
| Venue | Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium |
| Date | 23 October 2026 (11:30 GMT start) |
| Toss | Zimbabwe, chose to bat |
| Zimbabwe | 169 all out (43.3 overs) |
| Afghanistan | 170/3 (34.3 overs) |
| Result | Afghanistan won by 7 wickets (93 balls remaining) |
| Player of the match | Ibrahim Zadran |
| Player of the series | Rashid Khan |
| Captains | Rahmat Shah (AFG), Sikandar Raza (ZIM) |
Zimbabwe innings: Raza alone
Zimbabwe made two changes, bringing in left-arm quick Newman Nyamhuri for Ernest Masuku and Tadiwanashe Marumani for Ben Curran at the top. Craig Ervine was still unavailable. Afghanistan recalled Fazalhaq Farooqi in place of Yamin Ahmadzai.
The top order collapsed again. Farooqi bowled Marumani, Azmatullah Omarzai took a sharp return catch to remove Brian Bennett, and Tafadzwa Tsiga fell in the same spell: Zimbabwe went from 22 for 0 to 26 for 3. Brendan Taylor (7) followed at 55.
Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl (31 off 45) added 60 for the fifth wicket. Raza made 68 off 83 balls with three fours and three sixes, and according to ESPNcricinfo became the first batter aged 40 or older to score a fifty in an ODI tournament final. Once Burl went at 115, the innings fell apart: Zimbabwe lost four wickets for 22 runs and Rashid Khan had Raza caught at long-off to make it 137 for 9. Wellington Masakadza (8) and Blessing Muzarabani (17 not out) lasted almost ten overs for a last-wicket stand of 32 before Bilal Sami trapped Masakadza.
A sharp stumping by Rahmanullah Gurbaz off Mohammad Nabi gave Nabi his 300th international wicket across formats (ESPNcricinfo). Rashid then had Evans lbw and bowled Nyamhuri before removing Raza.
| Afghanistan bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rashid Khan | 10 | 41 | 3 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 10 | 25 | 2 |
| Bilal Sami | 5.3 | 27 | 2 |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | 7 | 41 | 2 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| AM Ghazanfar | 6 | 24 | 0 |
Afghanistan chase: Zadran finishes it
Gurbaz hit 36 off 31 balls in an opening stand of 68 inside ten overs. Sediqullah Atal (6) went at 80, and then Zadran and captain Rahmat Shah (43 off 63) put on 82 for the third wicket. Zadran, with his second fifty of the tournament, was unbeaten on 70 off 96 balls when Hashmatullah Shahidi (7 not out) hit the winning boundary in the 35th over. Nyamhuri took 2 for 30 and Madhevere 1 for 8 for Zimbabwe.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ibrahim Zadran | 70* | 96 | 4 | 1 |
| Rahmat Shah | 43 | 63 | 1 | 1 |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | 36 | 31 | 4 | 2 |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi | 7* | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Sediqullah Atal | 6 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
How the tri-series went
| Match | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1st: Bangladesh v Zimbabwe (17 Oct) | Abu Dhabi | Zimbabwe won by 99 runs |
| 2nd: Afghanistan v Zimbabwe (19 Oct) | Abu Dhabi | Afghanistan won by 158 runs |
| 3rd: Afghanistan v Bangladesh (21 Oct) | Sharjah | Afghanistan won by 7 wickets |
| Final: Afghanistan v Zimbabwe (23 Oct) | Sharjah | Afghanistan won by 7 wickets |
Afghanistan won all three of their games. Rashid Khan was named player of the series after taking 4 for 17 against Zimbabwe, 4 for 31 against Bangladesh and 3 for 41 in the final. Bangladesh, without the injured Litton Das, lost both their matches.
Match reports: Bangladesh v Zimbabwe, Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Afghanistan v Bangladesh. Series preview and squads: tri-series guide.
FAQ
Who won the UAE ODI tri-series 2026?
Afghanistan, who beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the final in Sharjah on 23 October 2026.
Who was player of the match in the final?
Ibrahim Zadran, for his unbeaten 70 in the chase.
Who was player of the series?
Rashid Khan.
Source: ESPNcricinfo scorecard and match report.
