Abu Dhabi – October 19, 2026: Sediqullah Atal (102) and Ibrahim Zadran (90) stepped up with the bat and Rashid Khan (4/17) and Fazal Haq Farooqi (2/15) stole the show with the ball as AfghanAtalan kicked off their campaign in the Etisalat ACB ODI Tri-Nation Series, Powered by SuperCola, with a remarkable performance, defeating Zimbabwe by a substantial margin of 158 runs.
After winning the toss,
Afghanistan's captain, Rahmat Shah Zarmati, chose to bat first. The Afghan team
posted a total of 294 runs before being bowled out, setting Zimbabwe a target
of 295 runs for victory.
Sediqullah Atal (102) led
Afghanistan’s batting with a magnificent hundred, and was well-supported by
Ibrahim Zadran (90). Additionally, Hashmatullah Shahidi (28) and Rahmanullah
Gurbaz (25) also chipped in with the runs to push the total past the 290-run
mark.
When it was time for bowling,
Afghan bowlers excelled in defending the target, putting pressure on Zimbabwe
throughout their innings. They started well with the new ball and kept taking
wickets all the way through the innings to eventually bundle out Zimbabwe for
136 runs, resulting in a commanding 158-run victory for Afghanistan.
Rashid Khan was the standout
bowler, claiming four wickets, while Fazalhaq Farooqi picked up two wickets.
Allah Ghazanfar and Mohammad Nabi each contributed by taking one wicket.
Sediqullah Atal was named Player
of the Match for his tremendous century and overall impressive batting
performance.
Afghanistan will face Bangladesh
in their second match of the Etisalat ACB ODI Tri-Nation Series, Powered by
SuperCola, next Wednesday.