Afghanistan held their nerve in a pulsating contest to defeat hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) by four runs in the final league match of the UAE Tri-Nation T20 Series at the Sharjah International Stadium on Friday.
In a match that kept fans on the edge of their seats, UAE came tantalisingly close to their first win of the tournament before Afghanistan’s spinners tightened the screws in the final overs.
Afghanistan’s Strong Start, Late Flourish
Opting to bat first, Afghanistan—resting some regulars to test their bench strength—started well with a 98-run opening stand between Rahmanullah Gurbaz (40 off 38) and skipper Ibrahim Zadran (48 off 35). Although the innings slowed after their dismissals, late cameos from Karim Janat (28 off 14), Gulbadin Naib (20 off 14)**, and Azmatullah Omarzai (14 off 9) lifted the total to a competitive 170/4 in 20 overs.
UAE’s Brave Chase
Chasing 171, UAE began brightly with captain Muhammad Waseem (44 off 29) and Alishan Sharafu (27 off 23) setting the tone. Later, Asif Khan (40 off 28) injected momentum and nearly pulled off a stunning heist. At 144/4 in 18 overs, UAE needed 22 runs off 12 balls. Asif struck two fours in the penultimate over, narrowing the equation to 17 off the final six deliveries.
He kept hopes alive with a boundary and a towering six off Fareed Ahmad, but his dismissal on the last ball—caught by Gurbaz while going for another maximum—sealed UAE’s fate at 166/5, just four runs short.
It was a good game, tough luck for us. We are getting close but not crossing the line. We’ll take the positives into the Asia Cup—especially improving death bowling and fielding.
Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran lauded his bowlers for turning the game around: “We wanted to give chances to players who hadn’t played earlier, and they stepped up. UAE played well and looked set, but credit to our bowlers for pulling things back. This win gives us momentum ahead of the final against Pakistan and the Asia Cup.”
Brief Scores: Afghanistan 170/4 in 20 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 48, Rahmanullah Gurbaz 40, Karim Janat 28; Haider Ali 2/23) beat United Arab Emirates 166/5 in 20 overs (Muhammad Waseem 44, Asif Khan 40; Fareed Ahmad 1/35, Noor Ahmad 1/23) by 4 runs
