AFG vs ZIM Match 2 Results

7:23 PM IST It's getting interesting - With Afghanistan winning by a massive margin of 158 runs, they have virtually confirmed their spot in the final match of this ODI tri-series. But it's not all over for Zimbabwe, though. However, with both matches played, they will wish that Afghanistan win against Bangladesh in the last league match of the series. It will be played on Wednesday, 22nd October, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 11.30 am GMT. But our build-up begins in advance. Until then, cheers!

7:20 PM IST The captain of Afghanistan - Rahmat Shah is speaking in Pashto, and the presenter translates it into English for everyone. Shah says that he is happy with the way his team played this game and will be looking forward to keep playing similarly. Shah adds that despite the win they will see how and where they can improve and tighten things in the field come the next game. Shah adds that they have played a lot of Sharjah and will be looking to bring that experience into play. Shah closes by saying that they have a brilliant start but wickets in the middle consecutively costed them around 30-40 runs at the end to the total and that they'll be watchful of it in the coming games.

7:18 PM IST The skipper of Zimbabwe - Sikandar Raza is not fit and can be seen hobbling off, so on his behalf, Brendan Taylor walks up for a chat. Brendan feels it was a good toss to win, but acknowledges that Afghanistan have shown far greater application and quality. He notes that the wicket is fairly docile, and Zimbabwe's loss of too many wickets in the Powerplay has made things difficult against Afghanistan's world-class spinners. Taylor describes this as a result Zimbabwe need to draw a line under and move past. He admits there is some swing under the lights, but feels the conditions aren't overly difficult, calling it a wasted opportunity, particularly his own dismissal, which he puts down to a misjudgment while trying to be proactive. He says he will reflect on it, and praises Afghanistan for an excellent performance.

7:15 PM IST PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Sediqullah Atal takes home the award for his match-winning 102 off 110 balls, graced with eight fours and a six. Atal says he is happy with how he has been batting recently and adds that he is working hard to improve daily. Atal says that Zadran is an excellent player to have in the middle alongside as he bats well and takes the pressure off and also when the dots pile up he keeps himself and his partner calm. On the total, Atal says they looked set to go well over 300 but ended on 294, still, they knew the pitch would offer a lot to the bowlers and were satisfied with the total.

7:07 PM IST The post-match Presentation...

7:01 PM IST Afghans crush the Chevrons - It is Rashid Khan's world, and we are simply living in it. He was at his very best and just broke the back of this Zimbabwean batting unit. It was a near-perfect day for Afghanistan. Their bowlers were relentless, with the pace trio laying the platform before the spinners squeezed the life out of the middle overs and kept the runs in check. Whereas nothing really worked out for Zimbabwe. They were sloppy in the field and their top order once again underwhelmed, leaving a lot for the middle order to do which eventually got consumed under tremendous pressure. FYI, Zimbabwe needed to score at least 196 or more to qualify for the finale, but they fell far from that figure as well and will now have to wait for the final league match's result to know their fate.