Afghanistan delivered a dominant performance to defeat Zimbabwe in the 2nd ODI of tri-series by a huge margin of 158 runs. Thanks to a brilliant century from Sediqullah Atal and a devastating bowling display led by Rashid Khan. The Afghan side controlled much of the contest and kept Zimbabwe under pressure throughout the chase.
Meanwhile, the defeat left Zimbabwe’s hopes of reaching the final uncertain. They failed to achieve the minimum score required to qualify and must now wait for the outcome of the remaining league match.
Afghanistan made a strong start after opening the innings with confidence. Ibrahim Zadran played an impressive knock but fell just 10 runs short of a century.
At the other end, Sediqullah Atal built on his early momentum and reached a memorable hundred. The pair added 140 runs for the second wicket, putting Afghanistan in an excellent position.
At 190/1, Afghanistan looked set to post a total well beyond 300 in the 2nd ODI of tri-series against Zimbabwe. However, Zimbabwe fought back with regular breakthroughs and reduced them to 259/5.
Their bowlers disrupted the batting rhythm during the closing stages. Nevertheless, Afghanistan’s lower order chipped in with useful runs to ensure a competitive total.
Brad Evans and Tinotenda Masuku claimed three wickets each. Blessing Muzarabani also picked up two wickets to help Zimbabwe limit the damage.
Zimbabwe needed a strong response but suffered another disappointing start. Afghanistan’s fast bowlers, Azmatullah Omarzai and Fazalhaq Farooqi, made early inroads and put the hosts on the back foot.
Brendan Taylor departed cheaply, while Brian Bennett failed to turn his start into a substantial score. Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s fellow spinner Allah Ghazanfar dismissed Bennett as Zimbabwe slipped to 43/4.
The Afghan seamers used the pitch effectively. They generated movement and maintained tight lines, leaving Zimbabwe’s batters with few scoring opportunities.
With the top order gone, captain Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl faced the difficult task of rebuilding the innings. Raza also survived an early chance when Omarzai dropped him on 20.
However, the pair struggled to accelerate. Boundaries became scarce, and Zimbabwe fell further behind the required rate.
Rashid Khan then struck twice, removing Burl and Raza to leave Zimbabwe reeling at 124/7. After that, the lower order could not produce the recovery they desperately needed.
Afghanistan’s bowling attack delivered a complete performance. The fast bowlers created early problems, while the spinners tightened their grip through the middle overs.
Rashid Khan proved especially influential. He broke Zimbabwe’s resistance at a crucial stage and helped push the chase beyond reach.
Afghanistan also benefited from a disciplined collective effort. Their bowlers restricted the scoring, forced mistakes and prevented Zimbabwe from building meaningful partnerships.
In contrast, Zimbabwe struggled in both batting and fielding against Afghanistan in the 2nd ODI of tri-series. Their top order failed to provide a solid foundation, leaving the middle order with too much work to do.
The victory strengthened Afghanistan’s position in the competition. Atal’s century gave them the platform, while Rashid and the bowling unit completed the job with authority.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, needed to score at least 196 runs to qualify for the final. However, they fell well short of that target.
As a result, the Chevrons must wait for the final league match to learn whether they can still reach the title decider. Their latest defeat leaves them with plenty to reconsider, particularly their top-order batting and ability to handle pressure.
