Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the final of the UAE ODI Tri-Series at Sharjah on October 23, completing the previewed title match without losing a single fixture across the whole tournament.
Put in to chase a place in the record books rather than a target, Zimbabwe were bowled out for 169 in 43.3 overs, with Sikandar Raza top-scoring on 68. Rashid Khan finished with 3 for 41, with further wickets shared around Afghanistan's attack as the innings petered out well short of a competitive total.
Afghanistan reached the target for the loss of three wickets, finishing on 170 for 3 in 34.3 overs. Ibrahim Zadran was unbeaten on 70 — his 12th ODI half-century — and was named Player of the Match for an innings that carried the chase through without any real alarm along the way.
The win completes a tournament swept without defeat for Afghanistan, who had already beaten Zimbabwe comfortably once before in the group stage — a 158-run win at Abu Dhabi on October 19 built around Sediqullah Atal's century — before a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh eliminated the tournament's third side and set up the rematch with Zimbabwe for the title.
A trophy won without dropping a single match is a strong marker for Afghanistan's white-ball depth, built around Rashid Khan's control with the ball and Zadran's consistency at the top of the order. For Zimbabwe, reaching the final of a tri-series against stronger opposition twice over remains meaningful progress under Sikandar Raza's leadership, even if a second heavy defeat to the same opponent denied them the title.
Zadran's role anchoring Afghanistan's top order and Rashid Khan's economy with the ball make both standout picks whenever the two sides next meet, while Zimbabwe's fantasy value continues to run through Raza's all-round contribution rather than a batting order that has yet to post a total to trouble Afghanistan's bowling attack.
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Scores and the result in this article are verified against same-day match reports and freshly re-checked sources as of October 24, 2026; minor scorecard details such as the exact split of Zimbabwe's remaining wickets vary slightly between outlets.
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