Atal Century and Rashid Khan Spin Rout Zimbabwe by 158 Runs as Afghanistan Turn the Heat on Bangladesh
Afghanistan have crushed Zimbabwe by a huge margin of 158 runs in the ongoing tri-nation series in the United Arab Emirates. The victory, built on a century from Sediqullah Atal and a spinning masterclass from Rashid Khan, has moved Afghanistan closer to the final while leaving Bangladesh facing a difficult equation.
Both teams had begun the series with wins. Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by a big margin in their opening match, and Afghanistan also started with a victory. As a result, the final match for Towhid Hridoy's Bangladesh side has effectively become an unofficial final — they must beat Afghanistan, and they will also face the tough challenge of lifting their net run rate.
Before Bangladesh even take the field, Afghanistan displayed their full strength. Batting first, they piled up a big total of 294, with the foundation laid by solid batting from the openers and the top order.
The start was aggressive. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran took Afghanistan past fifty inside the seventh over. Gurbaz departed for 25 with the team score on 50, but the scoring rate did not slow.
Sediqullah Atal then joined Ibrahim Zadran, and their 140-run partnership carried the Afghan innings towards a big score. That stand virtually batted Zimbabwe out of the match.
Zadran fell to Brad Evans within sight of a century. He made 90 from 96 balls with nine fours and two sixes. It was the fourth time in his career that the opener has been dismissed in the nineties — a near-miss that will sting even more.
Zadran's departure did not stop Atal. Before falling with the team score on 259, he completed his century — an innings of 102 that was the heart of Afghanistan's big total.
There was, however, a late collapse in the Afghan camp. The last five batters departed within 5.2 overs for just 35 runs. By then, though, 294 runs were already on the board — a target that would test any side.
Chasing 295, Zimbabwe's top order collapsed again. After losing three wickets for 24 against Bangladesh, they now slipped to four wickets down for 43 against Afghanistan. After the fourth wicket fell in the 13th over, Sikandar Raza and Ryan Burl tried to rebuild.
That 64-run stand was broken in the 32nd over when Burl departed for 31. Raza, the innings' top scorer, also fell for 48. Zimbabwe's innings then disintegrated against Rashid Khan's spin, losing their last six wickets for just 29 runs. Rashid took four wickets for only 17 runs in eight overs, and Zimbabwe were bowled out for 136 in 38.4 overs.
The scorecard tells the story clearly: Afghanistan 294 (Atal 102, Zadran 90; Masuku 3/44, Evans 3/47) beat Zimbabwe 136 (Raza 48; Rashid 4/17, Faruqi 2/15) by 158 runs. Zimbabwe's own maths had been simple — passing 196 would have taken them into the final — but they could not even reach that mark.
After this result, all three teams are still alive in the competition. The equation for Bangladesh in the final match is therefore straightforward — they must beat Afghanistan, and by a margin big enough to bring the net run-rate calculation in their favour. Judging by the form of Atal, Rashid and their teammates, that task will be anything but easy.
