Afghanistan won the Tri-Series 2026 final by seven wickets with 93 balls remaining at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, reaching 170/3 after dismissing Zimbabwe for 169. Player of the match Ibrahim Zadran made 70 not out from 96 balls, completing the work of an attack that repeatedly interrupted Zimbabwe's attempts to rebuild.
Nabi and Rashid dismantle Zimbabwe's recovery
Zimbabwe chose to bat, but their top order could not establish a platform. Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled Tadiwanashe Marumani for 12 before Azmatullah Omarzai held a return catch to dismiss Brian Bennett for 9. Farooqi then had Tafadzwa Tsiga caught for 4, leaving Zimbabwe 26/3 in the seventh over.
Omarzai conceded just 6 runs from five overs, including a maiden, ensuring that the early wickets were accompanied by tight bowling. Brendan Taylor helped steady the innings briefly, but his dismissal for 7, caught off Bilal Sami at 55/4, left Zimbabwe needing a more substantial repair.
Their strongest resistance came from Sikandar Raza, who scored 68 from 83 balls. He struck three fours and three sixes, providing the innings with its main attacking contribution while Ryan Burl supplied support. Their fifth-wicket partnership of 60 gave Zimbabwe a route towards a competitive total after the damage above them.
Burl made 31 from 45 balls before being caught off Mohammad Nabi at 115/5. That breakthrough prevented the partnership from becoming the foundation for a stronger finish. Nabi then had Wesley Madhevere stumped for 3 and completed his ten overs with 2/25, including a maiden.
Rashid Khan finished with 3/41, removing the remaining support around Raza before dismissing Zimbabwe's principal scorer. Brad Evans was lbw for 1 and Newman Nyamhuri was bowled without scoring. Raza then fell to a catch by Zadran, leaving Zimbabwe 137/9 in the 34th over. The recovery had not survived the loss of Burl, with the lower middle order unable to stay alongside Raza.
Wellington Masakadza and Blessing Muzarabani nevertheless prolonged the innings with a last-wicket stand of 32. Muzarabani remained unbeaten on 17, while Masakadza made 8 before Sami trapped him lbw to end the innings after 43.3 overs. Their resistance added useful runs, but Afghanistan had already restricted the scale of the chase.
Zadran anchors the reply through two substantial stands
Rahmanullah Gurbaz supplied the early impetus with 36 from 31 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes. His opening partnership with Zadran was worth 68 before Nyamhuri had him caught by Madhevere at 9.4 overs. Afghanistan had built a substantial base before Zimbabwe found their first breakthrough.
Nyamhuri also removed Sediqullah Atal, caught by Taylor for 6, to leave Afghanistan 80/2 after 13.3 overs. He returned 2/30 from six overs, but Zimbabwe could not turn those wickets into a sustained opening through the batting order.
Zadran and Rahmat Shah instead added 82 for the third wicket. Shah contributed 43 from 63 balls, giving the chase a second durable partnership after the opening stand. With Zadran remaining in place, Afghanistan avoided the repeated rebuilding that had characterised Zimbabwe's innings.
Burl conceded only 19 from six overs and Muzarabani 23 from his six, but neither took a wicket. Those spells limited scoring without breaking the partnership Zimbabwe needed to disrupt.
Shah was eventually caught by Burl off Madhevere at 162/3 in the 33rd over. Hashmatullah Shahidi then made 7 not out from five balls alongside Zadran, and Afghanistan completed the chase in 34.3 overs without another wicket falling.