ODI

AFG vs BAN Tri-Series 2026: Afghanistan Win, Reach the Final

Published on October 21, 2026

Summary Overview: Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets in Sharjah to reach the ODI tri-series final. Rashid Khan took 4 for 31 and Rahmat Shah made 67 not out. Afghanistan play Zimbabwe in Friday's final. Report, squads and times.

Who won? Afghanistan, by 7 wickets at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. They bowled Bangladesh out for 160 and reached 161 for 3 with 87 balls to spare.

Who starred? Rashid Khan took 4 for 31 and was named Player of the Match. Captain Rahmat Shah finished on 67 not out.

What does it mean? Afghanistan go into the final unbeaten, and they will face Zimbabwe. Bangladesh lost both their games and are out.

When is the final? Friday, October 23 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, at 3:30 PM local time (5:00 PM IST, 4:30 PM PKT, 7:30 AM ET).

Match Report: Bangladesh Needed a Big Win and Never Got Going

Bangladesh came into this game knowing only a big win could keep them alive. Instead, their tournament was over inside the first seven overs.

For readers new to cricket: in a One Day International (ODI), each team bats for up to 50 overs (an over is six legal deliveries). A team wins by wickets when it chases down the target with batters still to come. Afghanistan won with 7 wickets and 87 balls in hand, a comfortable victory.

Bangladesh's Innings: Early Collapse, Emon Fights, Rashid Finishes

Captain Towhid Hridoy won the toss and chose to bat. Recalled fast bowler Yamin Ahmadzai struck twice in two balls in the second over: Tanzid Hasan Tamim was caught behind, and Soumya Sarkar was bowled first ball. Azmatullah Omarzai then removed Najmul Hossain Shanto (15) and caught and bowled Hridoy for a duck. Bangladesh were 28 for 4 in the seventh over.

Wicketkeeper Parvez Hossain Emon and Saif Hassan rebuilt with a stand of 93. Saif made 41 before Mohammad Nabi had him caught at 121, and Emon went on to a fighting 70 off 96 with two sixes.

Bilal Sami removed Mehidy Hasan Miraz for 2, and then Rashid Khan took the last four wickets. He bowled Shoriful Islam, trapped Emon lbw, and finished the innings with two wickets in two balls. Bangladesh were all out for 160 in 41.2 overs, having lost their last six wickets for 39 runs.

Afghanistan's Chase: Rahmat Takes Charge

Taskin Ahmed gave Bangladesh hope, bowling Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sediqullah Atal, the centurion from Monday. Afghanistan were 39 for 2 in the seventh over.

But captain Rahmat Shah made sure there was no collapse. He added 56 with Ibrahim Zadran (34), then an unbeaten 66 with Hashmatullah Shahidi (36*). Rahmat finished on 67 not out off 90 as Afghanistan won in the 36th over.

Turning Point: Ahmadzai's Double Strike

Bangladesh needed a big total to have any chance. Yamin Ahmadzai, playing his first game of the series, took two wickets in two balls in the second over, and Bangladesh were 6 for 2. They never recovered from losing four wickets for 28 runs in the first seven overs.

Stat Corner

Top Performers

Player	Team	Performance
Rashid Khan	Afghanistan	4 for 31 (8.2 overs), Player of the Match
Rahmat Shah (c)	Afghanistan	*67 (90)**, 5 fours
Hashmatullah Shahidi	Afghanistan	36* (54)
Azmatullah Omarzai	Afghanistan	2 for 27 (7 overs)
Yamin Ahmadzai	Afghanistan	2 for 21 (6 overs)
Parvez Hossain Emon (wk)	Bangladesh	70 (96), 5 fours, 2 sixes
Saif Hassan	Bangladesh	41 (82)
Taskin Ahmed	Bangladesh	2 for 36 (8 overs)

* not out

How the Game Turned

Moment	Score
Ahmadzai's two in two	Bangladesh 6 for 2 (1.3 overs)
Top order gone	Bangladesh 28 for 4 (6.6 overs)
Emon and Saif stand	93 off 147 balls for the 5th wicket
Rashid's finish	121 for 4 to 160 all out
Taskin strikes twice	Afghanistan 39 for 2 (6.6 overs)
Rahmat and Shahidi stand	66 off 93 balls, unbroken
Afghanistan win	161 for 3 (35.3 overs)

Powerplay Comparison

Team	First 10 overs
Bangladesh	38 for 4
Afghanistan	42 for 2

Squads

Afghanistan

Role	Players
Playing XI	Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Yamin Ahmadzai
Bench	Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Nangeyalia Kharoti, Ikram Alikhil

Afghanistan made two changes: Bilal Sami and Yamin Ahmadzai came in for Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi and Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Bangladesh

Role	Players
Playing XI	Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Saif Hassan, Towhid Hridoy (c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Parvez Hossain Emon (wk), Aliss Al Islam, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman
Bench	Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Hasan Mahmud

Bangladesh made three changes: Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Parvez Hossain Emon and Aliss Al Islam came in for Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan and Rishad Hossain.

Final Tri-Series Table

Team	Played	Won	Lost	Net Run Rate
Afghanistan	2	2	0	+2.362
Zimbabwe	2	1	1	-0.590
Bangladesh	2	0	2	-1.733

The top two, in bold, reach the final. Net run rate compares how fast a team scores with how fast its opponents score.

The Final: Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe

Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by 158 runs on Monday, when Sediqullah Atal hit 102 and Rashid took 4 for 17. Zimbabwe, who thrashed Bangladesh by 99 runs in the opener, will need a big improvement to turn the tables.

Match	Date	Venue	Local (GST)	IST	Pakistan	ET
Final	Fri, Oct 23	Sharjah Cricket Stadium	3:30 PM	5:00 PM	4:30 PM	7:30 AM

Local time is Gulf Standard Time (GST, UTC+4). IST is India Standard Time (UTC+5:30). Pakistan is on PKT (UTC+5). ET is US Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4). The final starts at 4:00 PM in Afghanistan, 1:30 PM in Zimbabwe, 5:30 PM in Bangladesh and 12:30 PM in the UK (BST).