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Afghanistan sweep Zimbabwe 3-0 after bowling them out for 79
Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the third T20I in Sharjah on 1 November 2026, bowling the visitors out for 79 to complete a 3-0 series sweep.
⚡Key Highlights
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Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the third T20I in Sharjah on 1 November 2026, bowling the visitors out for 79 to complete a 3-0 series sweep.
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Key analysis, background details, and full reporting below.
Afghanistan completed a 3-0 Twenty20 series sweep over Zimbabwe in Sharjah on 1 November 2026, bowling the visitors out for 79 and chasing the target down in just 8.1 overs.
By StoryTimesNow News Desk — 01 November 2026, 11:02 PM IST
Afghanistan wrapped up a 3-0 T20I series sweep over Zimbabwe in Sharjah on 1 November 2026. (Illustrative image)
Key Takeaways
What happened: Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the third T20I at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday, 1 November 2026, completing a 3-0 series sweep.
Who is affected: Zimbabwe leave the T20 leg of their UAE tour without a win, while Afghanistan carry clear momentum into the two-match Test series starting on 5 November.
What next: The teams switch to the longest format in Sharjah, where Afghanistan will look to extend a run built on bowling discipline and late-order power.
Introduction
Afghanistan saved their most emphatic performance for last. Zimbabwe were bowled out for 79 in 14.3 overs in the third T20I at Sharjah on Sunday, 1 November 2026, and Afghanistan knocked off the target for three wickets in 8.1 overs to seal a 3-0 sweep.
What Happened?
Zimbabwe batted first and reached 50 in 9.1 overs, but regular wickets prevented any partnership from taking hold. The innings unravelled from there, and the visitors were dismissed for 79 in 14.3 overs, well short of a total that could test Afghanistan's batting. Spinner Noor Ahmad was the star of the show, according to the ICC, cleaning up Zimbabwe's middle and lower order as the collapse gathered pace inside 15 overs.
Afghanistan's chase was brisk rather than reckless. Mohammad Akram sprinted to 14 off five deliveries before Blessing Muzarabani dismissed him, and Sediqullah Atal added 20 off 14 balls before falling to Ernest Masuku. Masuku then removed Noor ul Rahman, but captain Ibrahim Zadran (25 not out) and Azmatullah Omarzai (18 not out) shared an unbroken 37-run stand off 19 balls to finish the match. Masuku took two wickets and Muzarabani one.
Why Does This Matter?
A clean sweep matters because of how Afghanistan achieved it. The series was already decided after two matches, yet the third game produced the most one-sided result of all, showing the gap between the sides in this format at present. Zimbabwe's batting never found a way past Afghanistan's bowling, and the final match, in which they lasted less than 15 overs, was the starkest illustration.
Important Details
Third T20I, Sharjah, 1 November 2026: Zimbabwe 79 all out in 14.3 overs; Afghanistan 81 for 3 in 8.1 overs. Afghanistan won by seven wickets, with 71 balls remaining.
Chase: Mohammad Akram 14 off five balls, Sediqullah Atal 20 off 14, Ibrahim Zadran 25 not out, Azmatullah Omarzai 18 not out. Ernest Masuku took two wickets, Blessing Muzarabani one.
Turning point: Zimbabwe reached 50 in 9.1 overs but kept losing wickets, and Noor Ahmad's spell through the middle and lower order shut down any recovery.
First T20I: Afghanistan won by 37 runs, with Rashid Khan's all-round brilliance taking centre stage, according to the ICC.
Second T20I: Afghanistan won by 19 runs. Azmatullah Omarzai smashed 116 off 50 deliveries, while Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza replied with 106 off 56 in a losing cause.
Series result: Afghanistan 3, Zimbabwe 0. Afghanistan had already secured the series before the third match; the final game completed the sweep.
What comes next: A two-match Test series between the sides, starting on 5 November in Sharjah.
Background and Context
The T20 series was played in the United Arab Emirates, where Afghanistan have long been difficult to beat in the shortest format. Their attack, built around wrist spin and disciplined seam bowling, suits Sharjah's conditions, and Zimbabwe's batters struggled to rotate the strike once wickets fell.
Zimbabwe's tour does not end with this defeat: the two-match Test series from 5 November offers a reset, but it asks far more patience and longer partnerships from a batting line-up just dismissed for 79.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, will take confidence from a squad in which the captain finished the chase unbeaten, the second game's centurion finished it too, and the bowlers shared the damage.
What Happens Next?
The immediate focus shifts to the two-match Test series starting on 5 November at Sharjah. Selections will show how much each side changes after the T20 results, and whether Zimbabwe back the same batters to answer in the longer format.
For Afghanistan, the question is whether the same bowling discipline transfers when batters have time to play themselves in. For Zimbabwe, the task is to bat long, build partnerships, and give their bowlers something to defend.
What Readers Should Know
A 3-0 sweep in a three-match series is sometimes called a whitewash: the losing side did not win a single game. It does not, on its own, settle which team is stronger in other formats, and the Test series starting on 5 November is a separate contest.
Readers following the tour should also note that the T20 sweep in Sharjah is separate from Afghanistan's Hong Kong Sixes title win over Australia on the same day, a six-a-side tournament played in Hong Kong.
FAQs
What was the score in the third T20I? Zimbabwe made 79 all out in 14.3 overs and Afghanistan replied with 81 for 3 in 8.1 overs, winning by seven wickets.
Who starred for Afghanistan? Spinner Noor Ahmad led the bowling effort that dismissed Zimbabwe for 79, while Ibrahim Zadran (25 not out) and Azmatullah Omarzai (18 not out) finished the chase. Omarzai had earlier scored 116 off 50 balls in the second match.
What is the final series score? Afghanistan won the three-match T20I series 3-0. The first match was won by 37 runs and the second by 19 runs.
What happens next? The sides play a two-match Test series starting on 5 November in Sharjah.
Sources and Verification
ICC, 1 November 2026 — https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/dominant-afghanistan-sweep-t20i-series-against-zimbabwe
Cricket World, 1 November 2026 — https://www.cricketworld.com/afghanistan-vs-zimbabwe-in-uae-afghanistan-bowl-out-zimbabwe-for-79-in-dominant-3rd-t20i-display/114143.htm
TechnoSports scorecard, 1 November 2026 — https://technosports.co.in/cricket/match/24799-1555122-afghanistan-vs-zimbabwe/
Khel Now scorecard, 1 November 2026 — https://khelnow.com/live-cricket-score/afghanistan-vs-zimbabwe-afghanistan-vs-zimbabwe-in-uae-1st-november-2026-41149
All scores come from the ICC report of 1 November 2026, cross-checked against Cricket World and the TechnoSports and Khel Now scorecards, which agree on 79 all out in 14.3 overs, 81 for 3 in 8.1 overs, and the 3-0 result. The hero image is a symbolic illustration, not a match photograph.
