Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, Final: 10 key moments, ball by ball
Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by 7 wickets.
Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by 7 wickets in Final of Tri-Series — Triangular Series Final (UAE). Here is how the match turned, ball by ball: the overs that changed it, the wickets that mattered and the numbers behind the result.
Key moments, ball by ball
- ZIM Over 1 — 12 runs came off the over, bowled by Fazalhaq Farooqi: 0 1 3 0 4 4
- ZIM Over 26.3 — Sikandar Raza brings up a fifty off 64 balls
- ZIM Over 26.4 — Ryan Burl out for 31 (45), caught by Mohammad Nabi. 114/5
- ZIM Over 31.6 — Zimbabwe collapse: 3 wickets for 15 runs (114/5 to 129/8)
- ZIM Over 33.4 — Sikandar Raza out for 68 (83), caught by Rashid Khan. 136/9
- AFG Over 9 — 12 runs came off the over, bowled by Brad Evans: 0 6 wd 0 0 4 1
- AFG Over 9.4 — Rahmanullah Gurbaz out for 36 (31), caught by Newman Nyamhuri. 66/1
- AFG Over 23.4 — Ibrahim Zadran brings up a fifty off 65 balls
- AFG Over 32.5 — Rahmat Shah out for 43 (63), caught by Wesley Madhevere. 160/3
- AFG Over 34.3 — Hashmatullah Shahidi finished it off with a four off Wesley Madhevere
How the runs came
Zimbabwe were 95 after 22 overs and finished on 169/10. Afghanistan were 91 after 17 overs and finished on 170/3.
Phase by phase
| Phase | ZIM | AFG |
|---|---|---|
| Powerplay (1-10) | 37/3 (RR 3.70) | 70/1 (RR 7.00) |
| Middle overs (11-40) | 116/6 (RR 3.87) | 98/2 (RR 4.00) |
| Death overs (41-50) | 11/1 (RR 3.14) | - |
In the powerplay, Afghanistan scored 33 more than Zimbabwe. In the middle overs, Zimbabwe scored 18 more than Afghanistan.
Zimbabwe innings: over by over
Zimbabwe faced 154 dot balls (59%), hit 10 fours and 4 sixes, and got 4 extras. The best stand was 59 off 87 balls between Sikandar Raza & Ryan Burl. Between overs 28.2 and 31.6 they slipped from 114/5 to 129/8.
Fall of wickets: 22-1 (Tadiwanashe Marumani, 4.2), 26-2 (Brian Bennett, 5.6), 26-3 (Tafadzwa Tsiga, 6.4), 55-4 (Brendan Taylor, 12.1), 114-5 (Ryan Burl, 26.4), 124-6 (Wesley Madhevere, 28.2), 127-7 (Brad Evans, 29.6), 129-8 (Newman Nyamhuri, 31.6), 136-9 (Sikandar Raza, 33.4), 164-10 (Wellington Masakadza, 43.3)
Afghanistan innings: over by over
Afghanistan faced 106 dot balls (51%), hit 11 fours and 4 sixes, and got 6 extras. The best stand was 82 off 116 balls between Ibrahim Zadran & Rahmat Shah.
Fall of wickets: 66-1 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 9.4), 78-2 (Sediqullah Atal, 13.3), 160-3 (Rahmat Shah, 32.5)
Our view
Afghanistan Dominate the Final as Sikandar Raza's Fighting Knock Goes in Vain
Zimbabwe needed a strong batting performance in the final, but things didn't go according to plan. Losing four wickets for just 55 runs put them under pressure early, and although Sikandar Raza tried to rescue the innings with a fighting 68 off 83 balls, Afghanistan never really allowed Zimbabwe to take control.
Raza and Ryan Burl added 59 runs together, giving Zimbabwe some hope of posting a competitive total. But once Burl departed for 31, the innings started falling apart again. Zimbabwe slipped from 114/5 to 129/8, losing three wickets for just 15 runs.
For us, that collapse was the biggest turning point of the match. Rashid Khan picked up three wickets, while Mohammad Nabi delivered an excellent spell, taking two wickets for just 25 runs in his 10 overs. Their bowling made life difficult for Zimbabwe's middle and lower order.
Chasing 170, Afghanistan didn't need to do anything extraordinary. Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave them a positive start with 36 off 31 balls before Ibrahim Zadran took charge of the chase.
Zadran's 70 off 96 balls might not look like an explosive innings, but it was exactly what Afghanistan needed. He stayed patient, rotated the strike and built an important 82-run partnership with Rahmat Shah, who contributed 43 runs.
What impressed us most was how calmly Afghanistan handled the situation. Their bowlers had already done the hard work, and the batters made sure that effort didn't go to waste.
Zimbabwe will probably look back at this game feeling they missed a real opportunity. Raza played a valuable innings, but he needed more support from the other end. Had Zimbabwe managed another 30 or 40 runs, Afghanistan might have faced a much tougher chase.
In the end, Afghanistan were simply the better side on the day. They bowled with discipline, took wickets at important moments and chased the target without unnecessary risks.
It wasn't the most dramatic final, but it was a convincing performance from a team that knew exactly how to get the job done.
Top performers
- Ibrahim Zadran — 70 (96 balls)
- Sikandar Raza — 68 (83 balls)
- Rahmat Shah — 43 (63 balls)
- Rashid Khan — 3/41 (10 ov)
- Mohammad Nabi — 2/25 (10 ov)
- Bilal Sami — 2/27 (5.3 ov)
Full scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary: Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe
