Afghanistan sealed their place in the final of the UAE ODI Tri-Nation Series 2026 with a ruthless seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in the third ODI at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, 21 October. Set just 161 to win, Afghanistan cruised home at 161 for 3 in 35.3 overs with 87 balls to spare, ending Bangladesh’s winless campaign and setting up a Friday final against Zimbabwe. Read our match preview for the pre-match build-up.
Bangladesh Choose to Bat, Then Collapse to 160
Bangladesh captain Towhid Hridoy won the toss and elected to bat first, but the decision backfired spectacularly. Yamin Ahmadzai struck twice in the second over — Tanzid Hasan Tamim caught behind for 1 and Soumya Sarkar bowled first ball — before Azmatullah Omarzai removed Najmul Hossain Shanto (15) and had Hridoy caught and bowled for a duck. At 28 for 4 inside seven overs, Bangladesh were staring at humiliation.
Parvez Hossain Emon and Saif Hassan rebuilt with a patient 93-run stand for the fifth wicket. Emon struck five fours and two sixes in a 96-ball 70, while Saif dug in for 41 off 82. But Mohammad Nabi broke the stand at 121, Bilal Sami removed Mehidy Hasan Miraz cheaply, and Rashid Khan ripped through the lower order — 4 for 31 in 8.2 overs — as Bangladesh lost their last six wickets for 39 runs and were bowled out for 160 in 41.2 overs.
Rahmat’s Calm 67 Not Out Guides the Chase
Afghanistan’s chase wobbled early when Taskin Ahmed dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz (6) and Sediqullah Atal (4) to leave them 39 for 2. Ibrahim Zadran (34) and captain Rahmat Shah steadied the innings, and though Mustafizur Rahman removed Zadran at 95 for 3, there was to be no twist. Rahmat (67 not out off 90 balls) and Hashmatullah Shahidi (36 not out off 54) added an unbroken 66 for the fourth wicket to complete a seven-wicket win — Afghanistan’s fifth straight ODI victory over Bangladesh.
Key Performances
- Rashid Khan — 4 for 31 in 8.2 overs, Player of the Match; his second successive four-wicket haul of the series after 4 for 17 against Zimbabwe.
- Rahmat Shah — 67 not out off 90 balls, the captain’s calm hand in the chase.
- Parvez Hossain Emon — 70 off 96 balls, the lone bright spot in Bangladesh’s batting.
- Yamin Ahmadzai (2 for 21) and Azmatullah Omarzai (2 for 27) — the new-ball burst that broke Bangladesh open.
- Taskin Ahmed — 2 for 36, the only Bangladesh bowler to trouble Afghanistan.
What It Means — Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe Final
Bangladesh needed to beat Afghanistan by at least 41 runs to overhaul Zimbabwe on net run-rate and reach the final. Instead, they ended the tri-series winless after two heavy defeats. Afghanistan finish the league stage with two wins from two, while Zimbabwe’s opening 99-run win over Bangladesh takes them through in second place. The final will be played on Friday, 23 October. Afghanistan thrashed Zimbabwe by 158 runs when the sides met on Monday, but finals are a different beast.
Full Scorecard
Bangladesh Innings — 160 all out (41.2 overs)
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saif Hassan | c sub b Mohammad Nabi | 41 | 82 | 2 | 1 | 50.00 |
| Tanzid Hasan Tamim | c Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Yamin Ahmadzai | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16.67 |
| Soumya Sarkar | b Yamin Ahmadzai | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Najmul Hossain Shanto | c Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Azmatullah Omarzai | 15 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 65.22 |
| Towhid Hridoy (c) | c & b Azmatullah Omarzai | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Parvez Hossain Emon | lbw b Rashid Khan | 70 | 96 | 5 | 2 | 72.92 |
| Mehidy Hasan Miraz | c sub b Bilal Sami | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
| Shoriful Islam | b Rashid Khan | 7 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Aliss Al Islam | c Mohammad Nabi b Rashid Khan | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Taskin Ahmed | not out | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Mustafizur Rahman | b Rashid Khan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Extras: 22 (byes 4, wides 11, leg byes 7). Fall of wickets: 6-1 (Tanzid, 1.2 ov), 6-2 (Soumya, 1.3 ov), 27-3 (Shanto, 6.4 ov), 28-4 (Hridoy, 6.6 ov), 121-5 (Saif, 31.3 ov), 124-6 (Mehidy, 32.5 ov), 147-7 (Shoriful, 37.3 ov), 156-8 (Emon, 39.2 ov), 160-9 (Aliss, 41.1 ov), 160-10 (Mustafizur, 41.2 ov).
Bangladesh Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azmatullah Omarzai | 7 | 0 | 27 | 2 | 3.86 |
| Yamin Ahmadzai | 6 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 3.50 |
| Bilal Sami | 6 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 3.83 |
| Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 2.40 |
| Rashid Khan | 8.2 | 0 | 31 | 4 | 3.72 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 9 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 3.89 |
Afghanistan Innings — 161 for 3 (35.3 overs)
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rahmat Shah (c) | not out | 67 | 90 | 5 | 0 | 74.44 |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi | not out | 36 | 54 | 4 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Ibrahim Zadran | c Najmul Hossain Shanto b Mustafizur Rahman | 34 | 48 | 2 | 0 | 70.83 |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | b Taskin Ahmed | 6 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 75.00 |
| Sediqullah Atal | b Taskin Ahmed | 4 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 30.77 |
Did not bat: Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Yamin Ahmadzai. Extras: 14 (byes 2, wides 11, leg byes 1). Fall of wickets: 26-1 (Gurbaz, 2.5 ov), 39-2 (Atal, 6.6 ov), 95-3 (Ibrahim, 19.6 ov).
Afghanistan Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taskin Ahmed | 8 | 2 | 36 | 2 | 4.50 |
| Shoriful Islam | 5 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 3.60 |
| Aliss Al Islam | 8.3 | 0 | 47 | 0 | 5.53 |
| Mustafizur Rahman | 6 | 1 | 32 | 1 | 5.33 |
| Mehidy Hasan Miraz | 8 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 3.13 |
FAQs
Who won the Afghanistan vs Bangladesh 3rd ODI 2026?
Afghanistan won by 7 wickets at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on 21 October 2026, chasing down Bangladesh’s 160 with 87 balls to spare (161 for 3 in 35.3 overs).
Who was the Player of the Match?
Rashid Khan, for his match-winning 4 for 31 in 8.2 overs that bowled Bangladesh out for 160 — his second successive four-wicket haul of the series.
Who will play the UAE ODI Tri-Series 2026 final?
Afghanistan will face Zimbabwe in the final on Friday, 23 October. Afghanistan topped the league stage with two wins, while Zimbabwe qualified in second place.
What did Bangladesh need to reach the final?
Bangladesh needed to beat Afghanistan by at least 41 runs to overhaul Zimbabwe on net run-rate. Instead they were bowled out for 160 and lost by seven wickets, ending the tri-series winless.
Who were the top scorers of the match?
Parvez Hossain Emon top-scored overall with 70 off 96 balls for Bangladesh, followed by Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah’s unbeaten 67 and Saif Hassan’s 41.
Conclusion
A complete performance from Afghanistan — ruthless with the new ball, magical through Rashid Khan, and ice-cool in the chase. Bangladesh’s batting frailties were exposed once again, and their winless campaign ends with serious questions to answer. For Afghanistan, one more step remains: Friday’s final against Zimbabwe.
See the full scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary on ESPNcricinfo for more detail.
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