Cricket

Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe ODI Preview & Tips - Afghanistan to triumph in ODI tri-series final

By Ben Darvill

2 hours ago

Ben Darvill 2 hours ago

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Afghanistan take on Zimbabwe in their ODI tri-series final
Rashid Khan has taken four wickets in both ODI tri-series outings
Preview, stats & head to head

Afghanistan are tipped to win their ODI tri-series (Getty Images)

Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe ODI Preview & Tips
Head To Head
Afghanistan Form
Zimbabwe Form

Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe ODI Preview & Tips

Afghanistan have been exceptional in their ODI tri-series with a pair of statement wins ensuring they arrive for the final as the favourites.

Zimbabwe are eyeing up a famous win after beating Bangladesh in their opener, with this enough to see them into the final.

Afghanistan have won both of their ODI tri-series matches
Rashid Khan has taken 4/17 and 4/31 in the ODI tri-series for Afghanistan

Head To Head

Across their last 10 ODI meetings, Afghanistan have surged to nine wins while Zimbabwe have notched one victory back in 2018.

Afghanistan Form

Afghanistan have proved impossible to stop in their ODI tri-series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh with a pair of dominant wins seeing them arrive for the final protecting a perfect record.

Against Zimbabwe in their opener, Afghanistan battled their way to 294 before bowling their opponents out for 136 in 38.4 overs. Against Bangladesh, they then removed the opposition for just 160 before cruising home with seven wickets and 87 deliveries to spare.

While the three are fairly well-matched, Afghanistan have done an excellent job of grabbing any kind of momentum and running with it. Rashid Khan has been particularly dangerous with the ball, taking 4/17 against Zimbabwe before returning figures of 4/31 against Bangladesh.

Khan will likely prove to be the architect of Afghanistan's triumph in this one as he puts Zimbabwe in a spin once again.

Zimbabwe Form

Zimbabwe did enough in their opener against Bangladesh to ensure that they would take a place in the final of their ODI tri-series despite losing heavily to Afghanistan in their second game.

Against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe battled to a competitive score of 271/8. They then restricted Bangladesh to 172. This was to be the start of a tournament to forget for Bangladesh, and while Zimbabwe were beaten handsomely by Afghanistan, they have a shot at revenge in the final with silverware on the line.

Zimbabwe's problem in their clash with Afghanistan was that they struggled to stop their opponents from building a serious base. At 190/1, Afghanistan were incredibly well set, and while Zimbabwe did well to restrict their hosts to 294, a chase of above around 250 against Afghanistan's bowling attack was always going to prove tough.

Against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe were able to ride the wave of momentum after posting a good score. Against Afghanistan, Zimbabwe's opponents started well and this caused a domino effect as Zimbabwe's batters fell trying to accelerate the scoring rate.

I predict more of the same in this one as Zimbabwe struggle to deal with the momentum Afghanistan will likely build.

Verdict

Afghanistan v Zimbabwe ODI

I am backing Rashid Khan to continue to prove to be one of the premier limited overs bowlers as Afghanistan triumph in their ODI tri-series.

Afghanistan

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