Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 99 runs in UAE tri-series opener

Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 99 runs in the opening match of the ODI tri-series in the UAE on 17 October. Craig Ervine (93) and Brendan Taylor (81) rebuilt the innings from 24 for 3 with a 150-run stand, and Brad Evans took 4 for 45 as Bangladesh were bowled out for 172 in 33.4 overs.

The defeat leaves Bangladesh without a point. Afghanistan then beat Zimbabwe by 158 runs, so Bangladesh needed to beat Afghanistan on 21 October to stay in the race for the final.

Update, 24 Oct 2026: Afghanistan won the tri-series, beating Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the final in Sharjah on 23 October. Details are at the end of the article.

Update, 23 Oct 2026: Bangladesh are out. Afghanistan beat them by seven wickets in Sharjah on Wednesday, 21 October, and face Zimbabwe in the final on Friday, 23 October. The details are in the new section below.

Key points

• Result: Zimbabwe 271 for 8 (50 overs) beat Bangladesh 172 all out (33.4 overs) by 99 runs at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
• Zimbabwe won the toss and batted, then slipped to 24 for 3 inside seven overs, with all three wickets to Taskin Ahmed.
• Ervine (93 off 106) and Taylor (81 off 101) added 150 for the fourth wicket. Ervine was named player of the match.
• Bangladesh were 66 for 2 after 10 overs, then lost six wickets for 63 runs. Evans finished with 4 for 45.
• It was Sikandar Raza's first ODI win as Zimbabwe captain, and Towhid Hridoy's first ODI as Bangladesh captain after Litton Das was ruled out.
• Update: Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by seven wickets on 21 October; Bangladesh are out, and Afghanistan play Zimbabwe in the final on 23 October.

BAN vs ZIM 1st ODI: the scorecard in brief

Figures are from the official scorecard, cross-checked with a second scorecard.

Taskin's opening burst: 24 for 3

Zimbabwe chose to bat, and the decision looked shaky within minutes. Taskin Ahmed trapped Ben Bennett lbw off the last ball of the first over without a run on the board. Ben Curran (6) was also out lbw to Taskin in the fifth over, and Tony Tsiga, who had hit three fours in a quick 16, was caught by wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan in the seventh.

At 24 for 3, Zimbabwe were in real danger of being bowled out for a small total. Taskin finished his ten overs with 3 for 44, and Mustafizur Rahman went wicketless but conceded only 44 in his ten.

Ervine and Taylor: the 150-run stand that won the match

Two of Zimbabwe's most experienced batters then took the game away. Taylor, keeping wicket in this match, and Ervine batted for close to 30 overs together, adding 150 for the fourth wicket. Neither hit a six: Taylor struck 10 fours and Ervine nine, and between them they scored 174 of Zimbabwe's 271.

Bangladesh's main bowlers could not break the stand. Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain went for 66 in nine overs, the most expensive figures of the day. The breakthrough finally came from a part-time bowler: Saif Hassan, bowling only three overs, had Taylor caught at 174 for 4 in the 37th over, and then removed Sikandar Raza for 4 two overs later.

Ervine kept going and looked set for a hundred, but he was caught by wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan off Shoriful Islam for 93 with Zimbabwe on 224 for 7 in the 44th over. Wessly Madhevere added a brisk 17 before he fell.

A late push to 271

At 234 for 8 after 45.4 overs, Zimbabwe could easily have finished short of 250. Instead Newman Nyamhuri and Wellington Masakadza each made an unbeaten 21, adding 37 for the ninth wicket in the last 26 balls of the innings. Masakadza hit two sixes and Nyamhuri one.

Zimbabwe scored 97 runs after Taylor's dismissal, and that finish proved far more than Bangladesh could manage.

Bangladesh's chase: a quick start, then the slide

Bangladesh began well. Opener Tanzid Hasan hit nine fours and a six in 46 off 38 balls, and the score was 66 for 2 at the end of the 10-over powerplay. He was out to the final ball of that period, caught off Nyamhuri.

That wicket started the collapse. Najmul Hossain Shanto was lbw to Evans for 4 two balls later, and from 66 for 2 Bangladesh slid to 129 for 8 by the 28th over:

• Towhid Hridoy (13) was lbw to Raza.
• Mosaddek Hossain (11) and Saif Hassan (26) fell to the left-arm spin of Masakadza, who conceded only 18 runs in six overs.
• Nurul Hasan and Shoriful Islam were both out to Evans in the 28th over.

Rishad Hossain (23) and Taskin (16 not out) added 32 for the ninth wicket, but Evans returned to take a return catch off Mustafizur and end the innings with 16.2 overs unused.

Fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani took 1 for 23 in eight overs. Among bowlers who bowled at least eight overs, it was the most economical spell of the match.

Captains: Raza's first win, Hridoy's first ODI in charge

The match was a first for both captains.

• Sikandar Raza recorded his first ODI win as Zimbabwe captain, according to match reports, and played his part with two wickets.
• Towhid Hridoy led Bangladesh in an ODI for the first time. Regular captain Litton Das was ruled out of the whole series with a right hip injury after failing a fitness test, and left-hander Parvez Hossain Emon was called up as his replacement, Bangladeshi and Indian outlets reported.

Litton had been appointed Bangladesh's full-time ODI captain in July, and this was due to be his first ODI series in charge, so losing him on the morning of the opener was a major setback.

Zimbabwe's recent edge over Bangladesh

The result continues a good run for Zimbabwe in this fixture. In July 2026, Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh 2-1 in a three-match ODI series at home, and also won the one-off Test on that tour.

That makes three wins for Zimbabwe in their last four ODIs against Bangladesh, counting the July series and this match.

Tri-series standings and what Bangladesh need

The second match, on 19 October, changed the table. Afghanistan made 294, built on Sediqullah Atal's 102 and Ibrahim Zadran's 90, and then bowled Zimbabwe out for 136. Rashid Khan took 4 for 17, and Afghanistan won by 158 runs.

The top two teams reach the final on 23 October. That left two possible outcomes from the last league match, on 21 October:

1. Afghanistan beat Bangladesh: Afghanistan finish on 4 points and Zimbabwe on 2. Afghanistan and Zimbabwe play the final, and Bangladesh are out.
2. Bangladesh beat Afghanistan: all three teams finish on 2 points, and net run rate decides the two finalists.

Because Bangladesh lost by 99 runs, their net run rate is now well behind. A narrow win over Afghanistan may not be enough, so Bangladesh will likely need a big win to be sure of a place in the final.

Why it matters: For Zimbabwe, the win gave Raza his first ODI victory as captain and kept them in the race for the final despite the heavy loss to Afghanistan. For Bangladesh, playing without their captain and now needing a big win against an Afghanistan side that has just scored 294, the last league game was effectively a knockout match.

Update: Afghanistan knock Bangladesh out

The knockout went Afghanistan's way. In the last league match, played in Sharjah on Wednesday, 21 October, Bangladesh chose to bat, lost four wickets for 28 runs and were bowled out for 160, ESPNcricinfo, The Express Tribune and Ariana News reported. Parvez Hossain Emon top-scored with 70, and leg-spinner Rashid Khan took 4 for 31.

Afghanistan chased the target in about 35 overs for the loss of three wickets. Rahmat Shah finished unbeaten on 67 and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi on 36, ESPNcricinfo reported, as Afghanistan won by seven wickets with 87 balls to spare.

Afghanistan and Zimbabwe meet in the final on Friday, 23 October. Afghanistan, who beat Zimbabwe by 158 runs in the group stage, start as favourites, ESPNcricinfo's preview said. For Bangladesh, two heavy defeats without their regular captain Litton Das end a short and disappointing series.

Final: Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe to win the series

Afghanistan completed an unbeaten tournament in the final in Sharjah on Friday, 23 October. Zimbabwe were bowled out for 169 in 43.3 overs, with captain Sikandar Raza top-scoring with 68 off 83 balls. Rashid Khan took 3 for 41, and Mohammad Nabi, Bilal Sami and Fazalhaq Farooqi took two wickets each, ESPNcricinfo and Amu TV reported.

Afghanistan reached 170 for 3 in 34.3 overs to win by seven wickets with 93 balls to spare. Ibrahim Zadran made an unbeaten 70 off 96 balls and was named player of the match, and Rashid was player of the series with 11 wickets. Zimbabwe, who had beaten Bangladesh by 99 runs in the opener, finished as runners-up.

Zimbabwe arrived in Abu Dhabi with a recent series win over Bangladesh and left the opening game with another. Bangladesh's tri-series ended with a second defeat, against Afghanistan.