Nabi, Rashid Shines as Afghanistan Defeat Zimbabwe to Claim ODI Tri-Series Trophy

Afghanistan claimed the ODI tri-series title after beating Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the final at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. Rashid Khan set up the win with three wickets, while Ibrahim Zadran guided the chase with a half-century.

Zimbabwe struggled to build partnerships after choosing to bat first. Captain Sikandar Raza tried to keep the innings together with 68 off 83 balls, hitting three sixes and three fours, but received little support from the rest of the batting order.

Ryan Burl was the only other Zimbabwe batter to make a notable contribution in the middle order, scoring 31 off 45 balls. Apart from him, Tadiwanashe Marumani added 12 runs, while Blessing Muzarabani remained unbeaten on 17.

From the bowling perspective, Rashid Khan remained the star performer for Afghanistan, as he finished with figures of 3/41 from his 10 overs, putting Zimbabwe under pressure throughout the innings. Besides him, Mohammad Nabi also bowled well, taking two wickets for just 25 runs to help Afghanistan restrict Zimbabwe to a modest total.

In the second innings, Afghanistan made light work of the target, reaching it with seven wickets in hand and 93 balls remaining. Ibrahim Zadran led the chase with an unbeaten half-century, keeping the innings on track after a strong start from the openers.

The chase began on a strong note as Zadran and Gurbaz attacked the Zimbabwe bowlers and added 68 runs for the opening wicket in 10 overs. Gurbaz scored 36 from 31 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes, before Newman Nyamhuri ended the partnership by dismissing him.

Nyamhuri soon gave Zimbabwe another breakthrough, sending Sediqullah Atal back to the pavilion in the 13th over with Afghanistan at 80/2. However, the hosts remained in control, as the skipper Rahmat Shah came to the crease to take the chase forward.

Both Zadran and Rahmat added 82 runs for the third wicket, leaving Afghanistan within reach of the target. Their stand came to an end in the 33rd over when Wessly Madhevere dismissed Rahmat, but his solid knock had already put Afghanistan in a strong position to finish the chase.

Zadran then showed composure to close out the game, helping Afghanistan hunt down the target in just 34.3 overs. As a result, they won the match by seven wickets and claimed the trophy to end the ODI tri-series in style.