Afghanistan Beat Zimbabwe by 158 Runs — Sediqullah Atal's Hundred Sets It Up, Rashid Khan's 4 for 17 Finishes It

Two days ago Zimbabwe lost three early wickets to Bangladesh and two batters in their 40s rescued them. On Sunday in Abu Dhabi they lost three early wickets again, and this time nobody did. Afghanistan had already made 294, built on a 140-run partnership between Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran, and Zimbabwe were 43 for 4 inside 13 overs. After that the only question was how big the margin would be. It was 158 runs.

It wasn't a perfect day for Afghanistan. They lost their last five wickets for 35 runs in 5.2 overs, and they dropped Sikandar Raza twice. But they had the best batter on the day in Atal and the best bowler in Rashid Khan, and that was more than enough.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave the innings a fast start, hitting 25 from 20 balls in an opening stand of 50 that took only 42 balls, before he charged Ernest Masuku and dragged an inside edge onto his stumps. Zadran then did most of the scoring. He reached his eleventh ODI fifty from 47 balls and was 51 at the first drinks break, with Afghanistan 103 for 1 after 16 overs.

Atal took longer to settle. He was 20 at that drinks break and reached fifty from 59 balls, but he never looked hurried, and the partnership went past 100 in 107 balls. Zadran looked set for a hundred until the 32nd over, when Brad Evans bowled him a sharp bouncer and he top-edged a pull to Tafadzwa Tsiga at deep square leg for 90. ESPNcricinfo recorded it as the fourth time Zadran has been out in the nineties in ODIs.

Masuku then bowled captain Rahmat Shah for 7, and Azmatullah Omarzai was caught behind for 8. Afghanistan went from 190 for 1 to 217 for 4, and Atal had to slow down. He added 42 with Hashmatullah Shahidi and reached his third ODI hundred from 109 balls. He was caught at long-on in the 45th over for 102, and the innings fell apart behind him: 259 for 5 became 294 all out, with Evans and Muzarabani taking the late wickets. Evans finished with 3 for 48 and Masuku with 3 for 44. Without that last-over collapse Afghanistan would have reached well past 300.

Zimbabwe knew that reaching 197 would put them in the final. They were never close. Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled Ben Curran for a duck in the third over with one that came back through the gate, then had Tafadzwa Tsiga caught behind for 2. Brendan Taylor wandered out of his crease and Omarzai hit the stumps directly. Later in the same over Omarzai bowled Brian Bennett, but Bennett pointed out that Omarzai's handkerchief had fallen during his run-up, and umpire Ahsan Raza called dead ball. It made little difference. AM Ghazanfar had Bennett lbw for 31 soon after, and Zimbabwe were 43 for 4 in the 13th over.

Raza and Ryan Burl decided to rebuild, and for a while they managed it, though they went 13 overs without a boundary. Omarzai dropped Raza running in from deep square leg when he was on 20, and he was dropped again at slip on 24. The pair added 64 for the fifth wicket. Then Rashid came on, and the innings ended quickly. Zimbabwe lost their last six wickets for 29 runs.

This was Zimbabwe's second top-order collapse in two games. Taylor and Craig Ervine got them out of trouble against Bangladesh, but a side can't rely on that every time. They need their top three to last longer before Sunday.

Rashid finished with 8-1-17-4. His first wicket was Burl, lbw to a slider that beat the inside edge and hit the front pad. Wessly Madhevere was next, lbw to a ball that stayed very low and hit his back pad in line with middle stump. In his following over Rashid bowled Raza for 48, and later he trapped Ernest Masuku lbw for a duck. Zimbabwe had worked hard to get to 107 for 4. Rashid took four wickets, and with Nabi's wicket of Evans and a run-out they lost 6 for 29 and were all out in the 39th over.

Atal's 102 came from 110 balls, with eight fours and a six. It was not a flashy innings, and that was the point. While Zadran was scoring freely, Atal kept the strike moving. When Zadran, Rahmat and Omarzai fell in quick succession, Atal slowed down so that Afghanistan would not lose their way. His dismissal in the 45th over showed how much he had been holding the innings together: Afghanistan lost five wickets for 35 after he left. It was his third ODI hundred and he made it look straightforward, which on this pitch, against this attack, it wasn't.

The pitch gave the seamers some early movement and the spinners help later. Farooqi got the ball to nip back into Curran, and Masuku and Evans took six wickets between them. When Zimbabwe batted, the ball held up and occasionally stayed low, which suited Rashid and made scoring hard for Raza and Burl. A total of 294 was well above par. Zimbabwe made 271 for 8 at the same ground two days earlier.

This match didn't have a CricIntel preview, so there is no call to check. Our preview of Afghanistan's next game, against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, is already up.

Each team has now won one game: Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh, and Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe. According to ESPNcricinfo, all three can still reach Sunday's final. Afghanistan play Bangladesh next, and the 158-run margin should help their net run rate if it comes down to that. Zimbabwe will be thinking about their top order. Two games in a row they have lost three early wickets, and they won't win many games like that.