Afghanistan thrash Zimbabwe to win ODI tri-series final in Sharjah

Afghanistan lifted the UAE ODI tri-series trophy in style, thrashing Zimbabwe by seven wickets in Friday’s final at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium to complete an unbeaten run through the tournament, ESPNcricinfo reported.

After Zimbabwe chose to bat, Afghanistan bowled them out for 169 in 43.3 overs. Rashid Khan took 3 for 41 — his sixth successive ODI innings with at least three wickets — while Mohammad Nabi claimed 2 for 25, and Fazalhaq Farooqi and Bilal Sami took two wickets apiece. Only Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza resisted, top-scoring with 68 off 83 balls to become the first batter aged 40 or more to score a fifty in an ODI tournament final.

Player of the match Ibrahim Zadran then anchored the chase with an unbeaten 70 off 96 balls as Afghanistan reached 170 for 3 in 34.3 overs, sealing victory with 93 balls to spare. He shared an 82-run third-wicket stand with captain Rahmat Shah, who made 43, before Hashmatullah Shahidi struck the winning boundary.

A blunt Raza told the post-match presentation Zimbabwe “must stop settling for finals”: “This business of us making finals needs to stop… once we get to the final, we have to win it. We have to win the trophy,” ZimsportLive reported. The triumph also capped an unbeaten tri-series for Afghanistan, Cricbuzz noted.