Watch: Brian Bennett’s ‘towel drop’ dead ball controversy as shocking dismissal overturned- AFG vs ZIM tri series 2026

During the second clash of the tri-series 2026 between Afghanistan and Zimbabwe at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Brian Bennett’s dead-ball controversy, in which the bowler dropped the towel and the umpire overturned the dismissal, went viral on social media platforms.  

Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat first on a used surface, expecting the ball to grip and spin on a used surface. It has been an important series for both teams, along with Bangladesh, to prepare for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.  

The moment: How Omarzai’s “towel drop” led to a dead ball call

It could have been the fifth delivery of the eighth over of the chase for Zimbabwe, when Brian Bennett was bowled by a fine in-swinging delivery from Azmatullah Omarzai. But the batter wasn’t ready to leave the crease as he pointed his hand at something just after losing his stumps.

Watch the moment here- 

There was confusion in the middle as the umpires got together and decided to give it a dead ball as per the rules. The bowler dropped his towel just as he got to the delivery stride, which got the batter distracted. That caused controversy on social media.

See Also: How to watch Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan ODI tri-series 2026 live in India: TV channel, live streaming and timings

The Zimbabwe batter, as many reckoned, could have left the ball. But the rule saved the Zimbabwe star in that situation. But he failed to use the lifeline and was finally dismissed for 31 runs off 40 balls, thanks to four boundaries and one six.

How Afghanistan won the clash: 158-run victory over Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi

Afghanistan were bundled out for 294 runs in the first innings as their two top-order batters contributed massively. The 140-run second-wicket stand between Ibrahim Zadran (who smashed 90 runs with nine boundaries and a pair of sixes) and Sediqullah Atal, who celebrated a fine century, has given them a strong platform. However, their middle and lower order fell like a pack of cards as they lost their last eight wickets for just 92 runs.

Zimbabwe were nowhere in the chase and were bundled out for 136 runs and ended up losing the encounter by 158 runs. Rashid Khan picked up 4/17 in his eight overs while Fazalhaq Farooqi returned with 2/15 in five overs.

See Also: Watch: Nayeem Hasan’s funny run-out attempt against Qais Ahmed goes viral in AFG vs BAN Test

Brief Scores: Afghanistan 294 (Sediqullah Atal 102, Ibrahim Zadran 90, Ernest Masuku 3/44, Brad Evans 3/48) beat Zimbabwe 136 (Sikandar Raza 48, Rashid Khan 4/17) by 158 runs.