New Delhi: Afghanistan’s bowlers, led by Azmatullah Omarzai’s 4-15, ensured that UAE’s promising middle‑order surge did not translate into a commanding total as they restricted the Gulf side to 160/9 in their 20 overs in the Group D clash of 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday.
On a pitch which had a bit of moisture, Omarzai’s incisive spell, where he varied his line and length very well, dismantled the lower half of the batting card, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman chipped in with two wickets and Rashid Khan bowled a tidy spell to keep the UAE to a par score.
After early setbacks, the UAE’s innings was steadied by a fluent third‑wicket stand of 84 runs between Alishan Sharafu (40) and Sohaib Khan (68). The duo countered spin with measured aggression and gave the innings a sense of momentum.
Sohaib’s 68, his second successive fifty at this venue, came off 47 balls, laced with five fours and two sixes. His effort ensured that the UAE touched 160 despite four wickets in the last five overs.
Aryansh Sharma endured a nervy start, surviving a caught-behind appeal off the very first ball, as replays showed the edge just about failed to carry behind to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and after a prolonged review, he was ruled not out.
But the reprieve proved to be short-lived as on the fourth delivery, a near-identical sequence unfolded – the ball brushing past the bat, fielders going up in unison, and the third umpire confirming the dismissal after a DRS check.
Muhammad Waseem was on the money from the get go, a powerful push past mid-on was followed by a slog sweep that pierced square leg after a misfield and get successive boundaries. But his promising start was cut short as he was trapped lbw by Mujeeb Ur Rahman, with replays showing the ball would clip the top of off-stump.
UAE’s innings gathered momentum through the fourth and fifth overs, with Sohaib and Sharafu counter-attacking to lift the run rate. Sohaib, in particular, unfurled a sequence of boundaries off Ziaur Rahman, slicing through backward point, edging past the keeper, and then pulling disdainfully over square leg. A no-ball only added to Afghanistan’s frustration, as the free-hit was safely negotiated and the partnership began to take shape.
Sharafu, meanwhile, found his rhythm against Mujeeb Ur Rahman, lofting straight over the bowler’s head and sweeping with authority. The pair combined to take 28 runs off successive overs, pushing UAE to 55 for two at the end of the power-play.
Mujeeb and Rashid operated with a slip in place, probing for the edge, yet bowling fuller lengths occasionally allowed the batters to get their runs. Sohaib Khan, in particular, punished Noor Ahmad with back‑to‑back boundaries and a six, while he and Rashid Khan were taken for a maximum each by Sharafu.
Despite Sharafu’s dismissal to Mujeeb, a mistimed loft to long‑off, breaking a promising 84-run partnership, Sohaib continued to rotate strike, while Syed Haider announced himself with a crisp sweep off Rashid for four and a towering six against Noor.
Though Sohaib got his fifty with a lofted six over Rashid’s head, he lost support from the other end as Omarzai squared up Syed Haider and took out top of off-stump while Harshit Kaushik edged behind for a three-ball duck and Muhammad Arfan was out hit wicket off Rashid, who got his 700th T20 wicket.
Sohaib and Haider Ali shifted gears to provide UAE with a good finishing flourish through a flurry of strokes against Rahman. While Sohaib swivelled across to dispatch a short delivery over long leg for six, Haider opened the bat face late to glide a short ball past the keeper and then unfurled a crisp drive through cover to get a brace of fours, as 18 runs came off the 18th over.
After Sohaib sliced through the gap at point, he looked to pull a short ball from Omarzai, but the top edge was snapped by the fielder in the deep, while Haider and Junaid Siddique were run-out in the final over, as 46 runs came in the last five overs.
Brief Scores: UAE 160/9 in 20 overs (Sohaib Khan 68, Alishan Sharafu 40; Azmatullah Omarzai 4-15, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2-31) against Afghanistan
(IANS)
