- Can Zimbabwe esce Afghanistan’s ODI chokehold?
- Afghanistan have a 20-10 record in ODIs against Zimbabwe, and haven’t lost to them in the last eight years The three who matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins The three who matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins, India vs Australia, World Cup, Chennai, October 8, 2023 They also claimed a highly respectable drawn Test against Bangladesh last week, which should give some of their fringe performers positivity ahead of this tournament.
- Afghanistan’s experienced batting line-up greatly complements their spin attack.
Can Zimbabwe esce Afghanistan’s ODI chokehold?
Afghanistan have a 20-10 record in ODIs against Zimbabwe, and haven’t lost to them in the last eight years The three who matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins The three who matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins, India vs Australia, World Cup, Chennai, October 8, 2023 They also claimed a highly respectable drawn Test against Bangladesh last week, which should give some of their fringe performers positivity ahead of this tournament. Afghanistan’s experienced batting line-up greatly complements their spin attack. Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi will no doubt have a huge role to play against Zimbabwe, while AM Ghazanfar is becoming a consistent performer.
Fazalhaq Farooqi is set to join Yamin Ahmadzai, who bowled his heart out in the one-off Test last week, as the new-ball pair. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran have established themselves as openers, while Sediqullah Atal and the rest of the middle-order have big knocks under their belt in recent times. Zimbabwe come into this game following a rousing win in the tri-series opener.
Craig Ervine and Brendan Taylor led with the bat like the veterans they are in a predominantly young team, joining forces with the scoreboard reading 24 for 3. Taylor was nonchalant in his proach during a pressure situation, defusing it with a flurry of boundaries. Ervine played the supporting role during their 150-run stand, before opening up towards the backend of the Zimbabwe innings.
The pacers Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans held their own despite Bangladesh starting off strongly. They began picking up wickets, and eventually Wellington Masakadza and ctain Sikandar Raza came into the game too, with Raza completing 100 wickets in ODIs. Afghanistan WWWWL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first) Zimbabwe WLLLL Sediqullah Atal comes into this match on the back of an epic fourth-innings century that helped Afghanistan salvage a draw against Bangladesh.
He batted for more than eight hours, facing more than 300 deliveries. Defending and leaving the ball had been the only things on his mind in that innings; now he has to revert to type, and show the white-ball shots and smarts he is amply equipped with. Craig Ervine acknowledges his half-century, Zimbabwe vs Australia, 1st ODI, Harare, September 15, 2026 Craig Ervine held Zimbabwe together with a 93 against Bangladesh, attacking their spinners with a wide range of shots including powerful reverse-sweeps.
He will hope to bring the same skills and awareness to his contest against Afghanistan’s spinners. Afghanistan are at full strength, with Rashid and Ibrahim Zadran back after being rested for the Test against Bangladesh. Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Sediqullah Atal, 4 Rahmat Shah (ct), 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi, 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 AM Ghazanfar, 10 Fazalhaq Farooqi, 11 Yamin Ahmadzai.
Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Brian Bennett, 2 Ben Curran, 3 Tafadzwa Tsiga, 4 Brendan Taylor (wk), 5 Craig Ervine, 6 Sikandar Raza (ct), 7 Wessley Madhevere, 8 Brad Evans, 9 Wellington Masakadza, 10 Newman Nyamhuri, 11 Blessing Muzarabani. After the first match, Zimbabwe ctain Sikandar Raza said the Abu Dhabi pitch had had “something for everyone”. While the fast bowlers found a bit of movement and the spinners extracted slow turn, batting was largely straightforward.
Winning the toss can be a significant advantage at the Zayed Stadium: the team batting first has won seven of the last eight ODIs played here. The weather is expected to be hot and humid. Afghanistan and Zimbabwe are involved in an ODI tri-series for the first time.
Zimbabwe finally won an ODI under Sikandar Raza when they beat Bangladesh on Saturday. It was his tenth match as ODI ctain, dating back to 2022. Rashid Khan has 50 wickets against Zimbabwe in ODIs, at an average of 14.18.
He has taken more wickets against only one opposition, Ireland (67 at 15.91). Afghanistan have a 20-10 record in ODIs against Zimbabwe, and haven’t lost to them in the last eight years Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran celebrate a wicket, India vs Afghanistan, 2nd ODI, Lucknow, June 17, 2026 Chopped on and Gurbaz has to depart! 127.3 kph length ball around off from Masuku.
Gurbaz charges down the track and goes for the big heave across the line, gets a healthy inside edge off the bat and drags it onto the stumps. Finally, some space to breathe for Zimbabwe with that wicket. ‘Catch it!’ rings out, and the fielder finally holds on.
Another nervous nineties dismissal for Ibrahim Zadran. Evans roars in delight as the batter trudges off in pure dispointment, greeted by a massive round of plause from the crowd and his teammates. It was a sharp bumper from Evans that got big on Ibrahim, who went for the swivel pull, only to top edge it straight to the deep square leg sweeper fielder.
That’s the end of Sediqullah Atal, caught at long on. Plays a feeble slog sweep stroke and fails to get underneath the line of the ball, miscues the slog stroke high in the air as he plays the googly ball against the turn, clips it aerially and Tsiga rushes forward to gobble it up while diving in. Atal drops his head in dispointment before slowly making his long walk back to the dugout.
Through the gates and Masuku is pumped up! Length ball nips back in sharply after hitting the deck. Rahmat Shah plays a nothing stroke in the end, clears the front leg and swipes with the cross bat, lets it go through the bat-pad and uprooted the middle stump.
Brendan Taylor takes a worldie behind the stumps! My oh my, words can’t express that effort from BT! Three-quarter length ball outside the fifth stump channel, plays the square drive and connects with the outside half of the bat.
It was flying towards the vacant first slip position, but Taylor had some different ideas in mind. The wicketkeeper flew to his right with a one-handed effort and just managed to pouch it with the barest of his fingertips. It looked like the ball would pop right out of his glove, but he somehow kept it securely inside the mittens.
Brilliant, brilliant effort. World-class individual brilliance. Who said he is 40 years old, eh?
Short ball tactics does the trick! Banged in short pitched ball around off, backs away early and slices this one with extended arms, gets the outside part of the bat and finds the deep cover sweeper fielder near the ropes Pitched up front outside off and Nabi goes for the big heave across the line. Clears the front leg and miscues it straight and high in the air towards long off.
Raza settles underneath the night sky and keeps his calm and cool composure, gobbles it up making no mistake. Bowled’em with the slower delivery! Back of the hand slower ball on the off stump line, gets down on one knee to blast this one out of the ground, misses the slog sweep stroke and the ball crashes onto the off stump.
Smiles are exchanged between the bowler and the batter, but Evans gets the last laugh. Miscues it to mid-on. Bouncer ball outside off and Ghazanfar throws everything at it, tries to drag it from outside off and this time clips it to mid-on at the edge of the circle.
Masakadza settles underneath and completes the catch. Pace off fuller length delivery and Ziaur swipes it away toward deep mid wicket. They attempt an impossible second run, and the batter is comfortably short of his crease.
The throw from the deep is wide of the keeper’s end, but BT keeps his cool, collects the ball and flips a calm underarm throw straight at the stumps to break the bails. Short ball tactics does the trick! Banged in short pitched ball around off, backs away early and slices this one with extended arms, gets the outside part of the bat and finds the deep cover sweeper fielder near the ropes Miscues it to mid-on.
Bouncer ball outside off and Ghazanfar throws everything at it, tries to drag it from outside off and this time clips it to mid-on at the edge of the circle. Masakadza settles underneath and completes the catch. ‘Catch it!’ rings out, and the fielder finally holds on.
Another nervous nineties dismissal for Ibrahim Zadran. Evans roars in delight as the batter trudges off in pure dispointment, greeted by a massive round of plause from the crowd and his teammates. It was a sharp bumper from Evans that got big on Ibrahim, who went for the swivel pull, only to top edge it straight to the deep square leg sweeper fielder.
Bowled’em with the slower delivery! Back of the hand slower ball on the off stump line, gets down on one knee to blast this one out of the ground, misses the slog sweep stroke and the ball crashes onto the off stump. Smiles are exchanged between the bowler and the batter, but Evans gets the last laugh.
Pitched up front outside off and Nabi goes for the big heave across the line. Clears the front leg and miscues it straight and high in the air towards long off. Raza settles underneath the night sky and keeps his calm and cool composure, gobbles it up making no mistake.
Chopped on and Gurbaz has to depart! 127.3 kph length ball around off from Masuku. Gurbaz charges down the track and goes for the big heave across the line, gets a healthy inside edge off the bat and drags it onto the stumps.
Finally, some space to breathe for Zimbabwe with that wicket. Through the gates and Masuku is pumped up! Length ball nips back in sharply after hitting the deck.
Rahmat Shah plays a nothing stroke in the end, clears the front leg and swipes with the cross bat, lets it go through the bat-pad and uprooted the middle stump. Brendan Taylor takes a worldie behind the stumps! My oh my, words can’t express that effort from BT!
Three-quarter length ball outside the fifth stump channel, plays the square drive and connects with the outside half of the bat. It was flying towards the vacant first slip position, but Taylor had some different ideas in mind. The wicketkeeper flew to his right with a one-handed effort and just managed to pouch it with the barest of his fingertips.
It looked like the ball would pop right out of his glove, but he somehow kept it securely inside the mittens. Brilliant, brilliant effort. World-class individual brilliance.
Who said he is 40 years old, eh? That’s the end of Sediqullah Atal, caught at long on. Plays a feeble slog sweep stroke and fails to get underneath the line of the ball, miscues the slog stroke high in the air as he plays the googly ball against the turn, clips it aerially and Tsiga rushes forward to gobble it up while diving in.
Atal drops his head in dispointment before slowly making his long walk back to the dugout. Chopped on and Gurbaz has to depart! 127.3 kph length ball around off from Masuku.
Gurbaz charges down the track and goes for the big heave across the line, gets a healthy inside edge off the bat and drags it onto the stumps. Finally, some space to breathe for Zimbabwe with that wicket. ‘Catch it!’ rings out, and the fielder finally holds on.
Another nervous nineties dismissal for Ibrahim Zadran. Evans roars in delight as the batter trudges off in pure dispointment, greeted by a massive round of plause from the crowd and his teammates. It was a sharp bumper from Evans that got big on Ibrahim, who went for the swivel pull, only to top edge it straight to the deep square leg sweeper fielder.
Through the gates and Masuku is pumped up! Length ball nips back in sharply after hitting the deck. Rahmat Shah plays a nothing stroke in the end, clears the front leg and swipes with the cross bat, lets it go through the bat-pad and uprooted the middle stump.
Brendan Taylor takes a worldie behind the stumps! My oh my, words can’t express that effort from BT! Three-quarter length ball outside the fifth stump channel, plays the square drive and connects with the outside half of the bat.
It was flying towards the vacant first slip position, but Taylor had some different ideas in mind. The wicketkeeper flew to his right with a one-handed effort and just managed to pouch it with the barest of his fingertips. It looked like the ball would pop right out of his glove, but he somehow kept it securely inside the mittens.
Brilliant, brilliant effort. World-class individual brilliance. Who said he is 40 years old, eh?
That’s the end of Sediqullah Atal, caught at long on. Plays a feeble slog sweep stroke and fails to get underneath the line of the ball, miscues the slog stroke high in the air as he plays the googly ball against the turn, clips it aerially and Tsiga rushes forward to gobble it up while diving in. Atal drops his head in dispointment before slowly making his long walk back to the dugout.
Short ball tactics does the trick! Banged in short pitched ball around off, backs away early and slices this one with extended arms, gets the outside part of the bat and finds the deep cover sweeper fielder near the ropes Bowled’em with the slower delivery! Back of the hand slower ball on the off stump line, gets down on one knee to blast this one out of the ground, misses the slog sweep stroke and the ball crashes onto the off stump.
Smiles are exchanged between the bowler and the batter, but Evans gets the last laugh. Miscues it to mid-on. Bouncer ball outside off and Ghazanfar throws everything at it, tries to drag it from outside off and this time clips it to mid-on at the edge of the circle.
Masakadza settles underneath and completes the catch. Pitched up front outside off and Nabi goes for the big heave across the line. Clears the front leg and miscues it straight and high in the air towards long off.
Raza settles underneath the night sky and keeps his calm and cool composure, gobbles it up making no mistake. Pace off fuller length delivery and Ziaur swipes it away toward deep mid wicket. They attempt an impossible second run, and the batter is comfortably short of his crease.
The throw from the deep is wide of the keeper’s end, but BT keeps his cool, collects the ball and flips a calm underarm throw straight at the stumps to break the bails. Tossed up on a full-length and slow through the air, straightens late as he jams the bat down and tries to go for a sweep behind square, hasn’t connected and that elicited a huge lbw peal. Three reds on the screen, crashing onto middle-stump and he has to take the long walk back into the pavilion.
That was plumb That’s exactly what was on the cards and the danger when you’re facing Fazalhaq Farooqi so spooky! Hard length and gets it to swing back viciously, he cannot get behind the line and the stumps are askews. What a lovely sight if you’re a fervent fast-bowling fan!
Amazing stuff and very hard to negotiate with, got it absolutely spot-on on this occasion. When he gets it to swing this way, it seems so hard to shield your stumps Oh, that’s a peach! Around the wicket, short of a length and it nibbles away late, in that zone where a batter is confused whether to cut or leave and he ends up getting a thick edge to the keeper.
Trying to get a move on and push the scoring rate but Farooqi finds a way to outsmart him. Just keeps coming at you and you can never drop your guard against this dextrous swing bowler Over the wicket, good length and he also gets massive inswing towards the stumps, dots building up and that urge to get going results in a run-out, Taylor just turns it to the leg-side and Omarzai hunts it down in a flash, he cannot get back, stranded in the middle of the pitch, looking lonely out there knowing every step back was going to be futile, throw was spot and this is massive wicket goes without saying…the highest run-scorer for Zimbabwe departs and now they are in a need for a major rebuilding work! Sensational stuff!
That is Rashid’s wizardry at his best, just got to take your hat off when you get this kind of a magic delivery, it’s the magician’s magic as he gets this wrong’un to spin back a mile from outside off and the ball disturbed the stumps and sent bails flying everywhere well before the bat came down to search for the line. Marvelous delivery Vociferous peal for an lbw in unison and Ahsan took his time before slowly raising the dreaded finger for Burl; another fired up full ball into the pads, couldn’t connect on the flick and looks stone dead in real time, decides agains the review after a short chat with Raza He just knew it was lbw the moment it rped on his pads, kept low as well, doesn’t even bother to look back at the umpire and brought out his famous arms aloft celebration, that was fizzed full and quick and very straight, he just went back trying to jam his bat down for a pull but got very late. Shorter and then turned in, kept very very low Looped up slower on a length at off, doesn’t turn much, prances down the track and heaves it in the air, Ibrahim at deep midwicket perched near the rope reverse-cups it, Evans short little breezy cameo comes to an end and Zimbabwe are collsing like a house of cards Bit short and angling in at off, squirts it out to deep third and there’s a direct hit at striker’s end.
Afghanistan look pretty confident out there and there is a good reason for that. That has uprooted the middle-stump before the bat was slid in and so Afghanistan register a clinical win in their opening fixture of this tri-series! They’ve been head and shoulders above Zimbabwe He is hunting for a fifer and inching closer to it!
Gets his fourth with another spectacular googly that went through the gate and crashed onto middle! The dreadful rattle means he has to take the long walk back to the hut. Undone by another stellar wrong’un.
Not easy for the tailenders to face this kind of heavy-metal music That’s exactly what was on the cards and the danger when you’re facing Fazalhaq Farooqi so spooky! Hard length and gets it to swing back viciously, he cannot get behind the line and the stumps are askews. What a lovely sight if you’re a fervent fast-bowling fan!
Amazing stuff and very hard to negotiate with, got it absolutely spot-on on this occasion. When he gets it to swing this way, it seems so hard to shield your stumps Oh, that’s a peach! Around the wicket, short of a length and it nibbles away late, in that zone where a batter is confused whether to cut or leave and he ends up getting a thick edge to the keeper.
Trying to get a move on and push the scoring rate but Farooqi finds a way to outsmart him. Just keeps coming at you and you can never drop your guard against this dextrous swing bowler Tossed up on a full-length and slow through the air, straightens late as he jams the bat down and tries to go for a sweep behind square, hasn’t connected and that elicited a huge lbw peal. Three reds on the screen, crashing onto middle-stump and he has to take the long walk back into the pavilion.
That was plumb Vociferous peal for an lbw in unison and Ahsan took his time before slowly raising the dreaded finger for Burl; another fired up full ball into the pads, couldn’t connect on the flick and looks stone dead in real time, decides agains the review after a short chat with Raza He just knew it was lbw the moment it rped on his pads, kept low as well, doesn’t even bother to look back at the umpire and brought out his famous arms aloft celebration, that was fizzed full and quick and very straight, he just went back trying to jam his bat down for a pull but got very late. Shorter and then turned in, kept very very low Sensational stuff! That is Rashid’s wizardry at his best, just got to take your hat off when you get this kind of a magic delivery, it’s the magician’s magic as he gets this wrong’un to spin back a mile from outside off and the ball disturbed the stumps and sent bails flying everywhere well before the bat came down to search for the line.
Marvelous delivery He is hunting for a fifer and inching closer to it! Gets his fourth with another spectacular googly that went through the gate and crashed onto middle! The dreadful rattle means he has to take the long walk back to the hut.
Undone by another stellar wrong’un. Not easy for the tailenders to face this kind of heavy-metal music Looped up slower on a length at off, doesn’t turn much, prances down the track and heaves it in the air, Ibrahim at deep midwicket perched near the rope reverse-cups it, Evans short little breezy cameo comes to an end and Zimbabwe are collsing like a house of cards That’s exactly what was on the cards and the danger when you’re facing Fazalhaq Farooqi so spooky! Hard length and gets it to swing back viciously, he cannot get behind the line and the stumps are askews.
What a lovely sight if you’re a fervent fast-bowling fan! Amazing stuff and very hard to negotiate with, got it absolutely spot-on on this occasion. When he gets it to swing this way, it seems so hard to shield your stumps Oh, that’s a peach!
Around the wicket, short of a length and it nibbles away late, in that zone where a batter is confused whether to cut or leave and he ends up getting a thick edge to the keeper. Trying to get a move on and push the scoring rate but Farooqi finds a way to outsmart him. Just keeps coming at you and you can never drop your guard against this dextrous swing bowler Over the wicket, good length and he also gets massive inswing towards the stumps, dots building up and that urge to get going results in a run-out, Taylor just turns it to the leg-side and Omarzai hunts it down in a flash, he cannot get back, stranded in the middle of the pitch, looking lonely out there knowing every step back was going to be futile, throw was spot and this is massive wicket goes without saying…the highest run-scorer for Zimbabwe departs and now they are in a need for a major rebuilding work!
Tossed up on a full-length and slow through the air, straightens late as he jams the bat down and tries to go for a sweep behind square, hasn’t connected and that elicited a huge lbw peal. Three reds on the screen, crashing onto middle-stump and he has to take the long walk back into the pavilion. That was plumb Vociferous peal for an lbw in unison and Ahsan took his time before slowly raising the dreaded finger for Burl; another fired up full ball into the pads, couldn’t connect on the flick and looks stone dead in real time, decides agains the review after a short chat with Raza He just knew it was lbw the moment it rped on his pads, kept low as well, doesn’t even bother to look back at the umpire and brought out his famous arms aloft celebration, that was fizzed full and quick and very straight, he just went back trying to jam his bat down for a pull but got very late.
Shorter and then turned in, kept very very low Sensational stuff! That is Rashid’s wizardry at his best, just got to take your hat off when you get this kind of a magic delivery, it’s the magician’s magic as he gets this wrong’un to spin back a mile from outside off and the ball disturbed the stumps and sent bails flying everywhere well before the bat came down to search for the line. Marvelous delivery Looped up slower on a length at off, doesn’t turn much, prances down the track and heaves it in the air, Ibrahim at deep midwicket perched near the rope reverse-cups it, Evans short little breezy cameo comes to an end and Zimbabwe are collsing like a house of cards He is hunting for a fifer and inching closer to it!
Gets his fourth with another spectacular googly that went through the gate and crashed onto middle! The dreadful rattle means he has to take the long walk back to the hut. Undone by another stellar wrong’un.
Not easy for the tailenders to face this kind of heavy-metal music Bit short and angling in at off, squirts it out to deep third and there’s a direct hit at striker’s end. Afghanistan look pretty confident out there and there is a good reason for that. That has uprooted the middle-stump before the bat was slid in and so Afghanistan register a clinical win in their opening fixture of this tri-series!
They’ve been head and shoulders above Zimbabwe He could hardly have looked more at ease while batting against Zimbabwe, but it was his fourth dismissal in the nineties, to go with three in the eighties Ibrahim Zadran pulled handsomely during his knock, Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, Tri-series, Abu Dhabi, October 19, 2026 Zimbabwe would’ve qualified for the final if they had scored 196, but they were bowled out for 136 in a chase of 295 Sediqullah Atal made 102 against Zimbabwe, Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, Tri-series, Abu Dhabi, October 19, 2026 Rashid Khan was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, Afghanistan vs India, 2nd T20I, New Delhi, September 15, 2026 Afghanistan have a 20-10 record in ODIs against Zimbabwe, and haven’t lost to them in the last eight years Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran celebrate a wicket, India vs Afghanistan, 2nd ODI, Lucknow, June 17, 2026 Zimbabwe would’ve qualified for the final if they had scored 196, but they were bowled out for 136 in a chase of 295 Sediqullah Atal made 102 against Zimbabwe, Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, Tri-series, Abu Dhabi, October 19, 2026 Afghanistan have a 20-10 record in ODIs against Zimbabwe, and haven’t lost to them in the last eight years Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran celebrate a wicket, India vs Afghanistan, 2nd ODI, Lucknow, June 17, 2026 UAE ODI Tri-Series 2026/27, AFG vs ZIM 2nd Match Match Preview – Can Zimbabwe esce Afghanistan’s ODI chokehold? UAE ODI Tri-Series 2026/27 Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe Match Preview: Afghanistan have a 20-10 record in ODIs against Zimbabwe, and haven’t lost to them in the last eight years Afghanistan have a 20-10 record in ODIs against Zimbabwe, and haven’t lost to them in the last eight years
