ODI

ODI Tri-Series UAE 2026: AFG, BAN, ZIM Schedule and Squads

Published on October 9, 2026

Summary Overview: Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe meet in an ODI tri-series in the UAE from October 17 to 23, 2026. Full schedule in local, IST and ET, plus squads and format.

Three Teams, Four Matches, One Trophy: Inside the 2026 ODI Tri-Series in Abu Dhabi

Who is playing?

Afghanistan, who are hosting, plus Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

When and where?

From Saturday, October 17 to Friday, October 23, 2026, at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

How does it work?

Each team plays the other two once, and the top two meet in the final on October 23.

What time do matches start?

4:00 PM local time, which is 5:30 PM IST and 8:00 AM ET.

The Story: Afghanistan's Busy Autumn at Home in the UAE

Afghanistan play their home international cricket in the UAE, and this autumn they are hosting a packed programme there. It starts with a one-off Test against Bangladesh (October 9 to 13), moves on to this ODI tri-series, and ends with three T20Is and two Tests against Zimbabwe that run into mid-November.

For readers new to the format: a One Day International (ODI) gives each team 50 overs to bat (an over is six legal deliveries), and a match is played in a single day, usually lasting around eight hours. A tri-series is a short tournament between three teams.

There is plenty at stake. The 2027 Cricket World Cup is an ODI tournament in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, so every 50-over match now doubles as World Cup preparation.

Zimbabwe Cricket Managing Director Givemore Makoni called it "an important tour for Zimbabwe, offering our players high-quality competition across all three formats." Bangladesh Cricket Board CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury described Afghanistan as "a formidable Afghanistan side that has traditionally performed well in these conditions."

How the Tri-Series Works

League stage (3 matches): Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe each play the other two once.
Points table: the two teams with the most points go through. If teams finish level, net run rate (a measure of how quickly a team scores compared with its opponents) usually separates them.
Final: the top two meet on Friday, October 23.

Because there are only three league games, one defeat can be enough to knock a team out.

Full Schedule (Local, IST and ET)

Match	Date	Fixture	Venue	Local (GST)	IST	ET
1st Match	Sat, Oct 17	Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe	Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi	4:00 PM	5:30 PM	8:00 AM
2nd Match	Mon, Oct 19	Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe	Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi	4:00 PM	5:30 PM	8:00 AM
3rd Match	Wed, Oct 21	Afghanistan vs Bangladesh	Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi	4:00 PM	5:30 PM	8:00 AM
Final	Fri, Oct 23	Top two teams	Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi	4:00 PM	5:30 PM	8:00 AM

Local time is Gulf Standard Time (GST, UTC+4). IST is India Standard Time (UTC+5:30). ET is US Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4). Every match starts on the same calendar date in all three zones.

Start Times Back Home

Country / Region	Local Broadcast Start Time
Zimbabwe	2:00 PM
Afghanistan	4:30 PM
Pakistan	5:00 PM
Bangladesh	6:00 PM
UK	1:00 PM

📄 Download the tri-series schedule as a PDF to save or share.

Squads

Afghanistan

Role / Designation	Players
Captain	Rahmat Shah
Vice-Captain & Wicketkeeper	Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)
Squad Members	Ikram Alikhil (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyalai Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Yamin Ahmadzai
Travelling Reserve	Qais Ahmad

Talking points:

Rashid Khan and Ibrahim Zadran were rested from the Test against Bangladesh on medical advice, but both are in the ODI squad.
Fast bowler Yamin Ahmadzai is recalled after taking 42 wickets at 12.73 in Afghanistan's first-class tournament this year.
Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi is in the ODI squad, though he has lost his T20I place.

Zimbabwe

Role / Designation	Players
Captain	Sikandar Raza
Squad Members	Ben Curran, Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans, Brendan Taylor, Brian Bennett, Craig Ervine, Ernest Masuku, Newman Nyamhuri, Ryan Burl, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Vincent Masekesa, Wellington Masakadza, Wessly Madhevere

Talking points:

Sikandar Raza captains Zimbabwe in both white-ball formats while Richard Ngarava recovers from a back injury.
Tafadzwa Tsiga and Vincent Masekesa come in and could both make their ODI debuts.
Innocent Kaia misses the ODIs with a thigh strain but is expected back for the T20Is.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh's ODI squad for the tri-series had not been announced at the time of writing. This section will be updated once it is confirmed.

Players to Watch

Rashid Khan: Afghanistan's leg-spinner is one of the most dangerous bowlers in the world, especially on slow UAE pitches.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (vc): An explosive opener who can set up a big total in the first ten overs.

Azmatullah Omarzai: A hard-hitting all-rounder who also bowls seam, giving Afghanistan balance.

Sikandar Raza (c): Zimbabwe's captain and best player, capable of winning a game with bat or off-spin.

Brendan Taylor: The experienced batter brings know-how to a young Zimbabwe middle order.

Blessing Muzarabani: Zimbabwe's tall fast bowler gets extra bounce, a valuable weapon on flat pitches.

What Comes Next

Dates	Series / Fixture	Venue
Oct 9 to 13	Afghanistan vs Bangladesh (One-off Test)	UAE
Oct 17 to 23	ODI Tri-Nation Series (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe)	Abu Dhabi
Oct 27, Oct 29, Nov 1	Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe (3 T20Is)	UAE
Nov 5 to 9	Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe (1st Test)	UAE
Nov 13 to 17	Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe (2nd Test)	UAE

Stat Corner

Parameter	Metric / Detail
Total Teams	3
Total Matches	4 (3 league fixtures + 1 final)
League Matches per Team	2
Daily Start Times	4:00 PM Local (GST) / 5:30 PM IST / 8:00 AM ET
Tournament Duration	7 days (from first match to the final)
2027 World Cup Co-hosts in Series	1 (Zimbabwe)