Sediqullah Atal's Ton and Rashid Khan's Four-Fer Crush Zimbabwe by 158 Runs

Result: Afghanistan defeated Zimbabwe by 158 runs in the 2nd match of the UAE ODI Tri-Series in Abu Dhabi.

The Stakes: Zimbabwe needed to score at least 196 runs during their chase to automatically secure a spot in Sunday's final. However, their heavy defeat leaves all three teams (Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh) with a chance to qualify heading into the final round-robin match.

Afghanistan Innings: 294 All Out (45 Overs)

The Foundation: After Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave a quick start, Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran put on a massive 140-run partnership for the second wicket.

Key Scorers:

Sediqullah Atal: Scored 102 (his third ODI hundred), anchoring the innings after a slower start and adjusting his tempo following a middle-order wobble. Ibrahim Zadran: Looked set for a century but fell for 90, marking the fourth time in his ODI career he has been dismissed in the nineties.

Late Collapse: Despite the strong platform, Afghanistan lost their last six wickets for just 35 runs in 5.2 overs, getting bowled out for 294 in 45 overs. Ernest Masuku (3-44) and Brad Evans (3-48) picked up three wickets each for Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe Chase: 136 All Out (38.4 Overs)

Top-Order Woes: Zimbabwe's top order collapsed early for the second consecutive match, slipping to 43 for 4 in the 13th over. Fazalhaq Farooqi struck early to remove Ben Curran and Tafadzwa Tsiga, while Brendan Taylor was run out for 1 following a direct hit from Azmatullah Omarzai.

The Resistance: Sikandar Raza (48 off 80) and Ryan Burl (31) tried to rebuild the innings with a cautious 64-run fifth-wicket partnership, though they were bogged down by disciplined Afghanistan bowling and survived a couple of dropped chances. Rashid Khan's Magic Spell: Once the partnership was broken, Rashid Khan ripped through the lower order, finishing with brilliant figures of 4 for 17. He trapped Burl lbw, dismissed Wessley Madhevere, and cleaned up Sikandar Raza with a sharp googly.

The Finish: Zimbabwe were ultimately bowled out for 136 in 38.4 overs, falling well short of both the 295-run target and the 196-run qualification mark.

Afghanistan 294 (Atal 102, Zadran 90, Masuku 3-44, Evans 3-48) beat Zimbabwe 136 (Raza 48, Rashid 4-17, Farooqi 2-15) by 158 runs