Afghanistan secured a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in Sharjah on 21 October 2026 and booked a UAE ODI tri-series final against Zimbabwe. Bangladesh were eliminated after losing both their league matches. The result is complete; the final, scheduled for 23 October, was still upcoming when this report was checked on 22 October.
Key Takeaways
- ESPNcricinfo’s detailed scorecard records Bangladesh at 160 all out and Afghanistan at 161/3, a seven-wicket victory with 87 balls remaining.
- Rashid Khan took 4/31, while Rahmat Shah’s unbeaten innings guided the chase.
- Afghanistan advanced to face Zimbabwe in the final; Bangladesh’s campaign ended. This was an ODI, not the earlier one-off Test between the teams.
Rashid Khan’s four wickets restrict Bangladesh
Bangladesh were bowled out for 160 in 41.2 overs, according to the completed ESPNcricinfo scorecard. Parvez Hossain Emon made 70 and Saif Hassan contributed 41, but the innings did not develop into a competitive total around those contributions.
Rashid Khan finished with 4/31 in 8.2 overs. Yamin Ahmadzai took 2/21 and Azmatullah Omarzai returned 2/27, giving Afghanistan wickets from both their pace and spin resources. The scorecard names Rashid Player of the Match.
The significance was more than the four-wicket haul alone. Bangladesh did not use its full 50 overs, so Afghanistan’s attack had removed the possibility of a late recovery before the chase began. Emon’s innings provided resistance, but Bangladesh needed more support to make that effort count across the full innings.
Rahmat Shah guides Afghanistan’s chase
ESPNcricinfo’s detailed scorecard records Rahmat Shah at 67 not out from 90 balls and Hashmatullah Shahidi at 36 not out from 54. Ibrahim Zadran contributed 34 from 48 balls. Afghanistan reached 161/3 in 35.3 overs, leaving seven wickets in hand and 87 deliveries unused.
This was a measured chase rather than a race against a demanding required rate. Rahmat and Shahidi were still at the crease when Afghanistan passed the target. Their unbeaten finishes are important: Bangladesh never reached the stage of exposing Afghanistan’s lower order in a close final-over contest.
Those exact batting figures follow the detailed scorecard, not a mixture of different reports. The board’s release supports the result and qualification but differs on some batting numbers; the reporting note below explains that distinction.
What the result means for the tri-series
Afghanistan qualified for the final against Zimbabwe, while Bangladesh were eliminated after two defeats. The Afghanistan Cricket Board’s 21 October announcement confirms both outcomes and identifies Sharjah as the final venue.
That is the clear standings consequence readers need from this match. It is not necessary to invent a points table or add an unsupported net-run-rate calculation to explain who advanced. Afghanistan’s seven-wicket victory and the board-confirmed final pairing establish the outcome.
The scheduled final is a separate match. This report does not say Afghanistan won the tournament, does not predict the final’s result, and does not present a future playing XI as announced.
Bangladesh’s defeat was not only a chase problem
Bangladesh’s main limitation in this game was the total it gave its bowlers to defend. Two substantial batting contributions did not prevent the side being dismissed with overs remaining. That left little room for a bowling recovery once Afghanistan established a stable chase.
Afghanistan, by contrast, combined wicket-taking across the attack with batters who finished the job. The margin reflects that balance: the bowlers restricted the target, then the chase was completed without requiring the lower order. This is analysis of the completed match, not a claim that either team will perform the same way in its next series.
This was separate from the earlier Afghanistan–Bangladesh Test
Readers following the teams through our earlier Afghanistan–Bangladesh Test coverage should keep the formats and dates separate. That page concerns a one-off Test; this result concerns the 21 October UAE ODI tri-series match. Test-session scores do not belong in this ODI scorecard or qualification update.
Zimbabwe await in the scheduled final
The final was scheduled for Friday, 23 October 2026, at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, according to the board’s dated announcement. No final result is included here because the match had not been played at this report’s check.
Follow the CricWin24 cricket news desk for source-backed developments. Any final preview or result will need its own verified fixture, team and match information rather than carrying assumptions forward from this win.
Scorecard and reporting note
The exact innings, overs and individual figures in this report follow ESPNcricinfo’s completed detailed scorecard. The Afghanistan Cricket Board’s release confirms the seven-wicket result and qualification, but gives different figures for some Afghanistan batters and describes the chase as completed in 35 overs. Those differences were not independently reconciled at the 22 October check. They have not been combined or labelled as proven typos.
