Image: Afghanistan's 38-run win over UAE in Tri Series clash / © ESPNcricinfo
The Sharjah Cricket Stadium was buzzing with energy as Afghanistan took on the United Arab Emirates in a high-stakes T20 clash. Afghanistan’s batsmen put on a show, racking up an imposing 188 for 4 in their 20 overs. UAE captain Muhammad Waseem called the toss right and chose to bowl first.
Out walked Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sediqullah Atal to open the innings. Gurbaz scratched around for 7 runs off 11 balls, managing just one boundary before Muhammad Rohid got one to nip away in the 3.1st over. The ball kissed the edge, and Rahul Chopra, UAE’s keeper, snapped up a regulation catch. At 16 for 1, UAE had a glimmer of hope, but Afghanistan’s response was swift and clinical. Sediqullah Atal, joined by Ibrahim Zadran, steadied the ship and set the stage for a commanding total.
Atal and Zadran’s 84-run stand for the second wicket was the heart of Afghanistan’s innings. They played with a street-smart nous, picking gaps for singles and twos while pouncing on anything loose. Atal was the spark, batting with a swagger that had the crowd roaring. His 54 off 40 balls was a masterclass in controlled aggression, four fours and three sixes, each shot played with a flourish. He lofted spinners over cover with ease and hammered a short ball from Junaid Siddique into the stands for a massive six. His fifty, brought up with a flicked boundary through midwicket, was a moment of pure class. But Saghir Khan had the last laugh, deceiving Atal with a slower ball in the 12.2nd over. The miscued lofted drive was pouched by Chopra, leaving Afghanistan at 100 for 2.
Zadran, meanwhile, played the perfect foil. Early on, he was content to nudge and nurdle, letting Atal take the risks. As his innings grew, so did his confidence. He unfurled elegant cover drives and lofted shots that cleared the infield with ease. His 63 off 40 balls, laced with three fours and four sixes, was a thing of beauty. One six, launched off Saghir Khan into the deep midwicket stands, had the crowd on its feet. Zadran looked set to push Afghanistan past 200, but Saghir struck again in the 17.4th over, with Junaid Siddique holding a pressure catch at long-on to end his knock at 160 for 4.
Darwish Rasooli, striding in at number four, kept the momentum ticking. His 10 off 7 balls included a glorious cover drive that raced to the boundary, but his cameo ended in the 14.2nd over when Muhammad Rohid’s well-directed bouncer was top-edged to Ethan D’Souza at short fine leg, leaving Afghanistan at 120 for 3. Enter Azmatullah Omarzai and Karim Janat, who turned the heat up in the final overs. Omarzai, unbeaten on 20 off 12 balls, smashed two huge sixes, one soaring over long-on with a flick of the wrists.
Janat, meanwhile, was a firecracker, blasting 23 off 10 balls with two fours and two sixes. Their unbroken 28-run stand off just 14 balls was a late blitz that left UAE’s bowlers shell-shocked, pushing Afghanistan to 188 for 4 at a run rate of 9.40 per over. UAE’s bowlers toiled hard but struggled to contain Afghanistan’s relentless batsmen. Muhammad Rohid was the pick, finishing with 2 for 34 in 4 overs, outsmarting Gurbaz and Rasooli with clever pace variations. Saghir Khan also bagged two wickets but was taken to the cleaners, conceding 52 runs at an economy of 13.
Junaid Siddique, Haider Ali, Dhruv Parashar, and Harshit Kaushik couldn’t find the breakthroughs, with Siddique leaking 34 runs and Parashar giving away 30 in 3 overs. UAE’s discipline slipped, with 11 extra adding to their woes. Afghanistan made hay in the powerplay, racing to 66 for 1, and never looked back. The Afghan batsmen showed their class, adapting to the conditions with ease. Atal and Zadran provided the backbone, while Omarzai and Janat’s late fireworks ensured maximum damage.
Chasing 189 under the Sharjah floodlights, UAE faced a daunting task against Afghanistan’s disciplined bowling unit. Despite a blazing start from captain Muhammad Waseem and a gritty fight from Rahul Chopra, UAE fell short, limping to 150 for 8 in their 20 overs. Afghanistan’s bowlers, led by the wizardry of Rashid Khan and backed by Sharafuddin Ashraf’s spin.
UAE’s innings kicked off with Muhammad Zohaib and Muhammad Waseem at the crease, facing a pumped-up Afghan attack. Zohaib tried to set an aggressive tone, cracking a boundary through point, but his stay was brief. Fazalhaq Farooqi’s fiery pace accounted for him in the 1.5th over, with Ibrahim Zadran taking a sharp catch at slip. At 15 for 1, UAE were under pressure, but Waseem had other plans. Teaming up with Ethan D’Souza, he unleashed a barrage of boundaries, adding 61 runs for the second wicket.
Waseem was in imperious form, hammering four fours and six sixes in a stunning 67 off 37 balls. His fifty, brought up off just 25 balls with a lofted cover drive, had UAE fans dreaming of an upset. D’Souza played a steady hand, scoring 12 off 11 balls with one four, before Rashid Khan’s googly pinned him lbw in the 8.1st over, leaving UAE at 76 for 2. Waseem’s dismissal in the 9.4th over, caught by Mujeeb Ur Rahman off Sharafuddin Ashraf’s clever slower ball, was a hammer blow.
At 90 for 3, UAE’s chase began to wobble as the required run rate climbed. Asif Khan, expected to keep the fire burning, lasted just three balls, bowled by a ripping Rashid Khan delivery for 1 in the 10.1st over. The wheels came off as UAE’s middle order crumbled. Harshit Kaushik struggled for timing, scraping 4 off 11 balls before lobbing a catch to substitute Noor Ahmad off Mohammad Nabi in the 13.5th over. Dhruv Parashar fared no better, managing 1 off 4 balls before being caught by substitute Mohammad Ishaq off Rashid Khan in the 14.6th over, leaving UAE at 111 for 6.
Saghir Khan and Haider Ali couldn’t stop the slide. Saghir was out for a two-ball duck, caught by Azmatullah Omarzai off Sharafuddin Ashraf, while Haider scratched out 2 off 5 balls before falling to the same bowler, caught by Nabi. By the 17.1st over, UAE were 122 for 8, their chase in tatters. Rahul Chopra, however, stood tall amid the ruins. His unbeaten 52 off 35 balls, with three fours and three sixes, was a gutsy effort. His fifty, reached in the final over with a lofted drive, gave UAE’s total a touch of respectability. Junaid Siddique, unbeaten on 1 off 5 balls, offered little support as UAE ended at 150 for 8.
Afghanistan’s bowlers were relentless. Rashid Khan was the star, finishing with 3 for 21 in 4 overs, dismissing D’Souza, Asif Khan, and Parashar with his mesmerizing spin. Sharafuddin Ashraf matched him, taking 3 for 24, removing Waseem, Saghir, and Haider with guile. Mohammad Nabi chipped in with 1 for 9, while Fazalhaq Farooqi took 1 for 24. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Azmatullah Omarzai bowled tightly without reward. Afghanistan’s discipline was amazing, with just 3 wides conceded. UAE matched Afghanistan’s powerplay score of 66 for 1 but couldn’t keep up as the spinners tightened the screws.
UAE’s run rate of 7.50 per over was decent but not enough. Waseem’s fireworks gave them hope, but the middle order’s collapse was their undoing. Chopra’s defiant fifty was a lone bright spot, but the rest of the batting lineup struggled against Afghanistan’s spin-heavy attack.
As Afghanistan’s batsmen took center stage, Ibrahim Zadran delivered the TCNI Magic Moment of the Game with a dazzling 63 off 40 balls. His knock, at a strike rate of 157.50, was the heartbeat of Afghanistan’s 188 for 4. With three fours and four sixes, Zadran mixed elegance with brute force, keeping UAE’s bowlers under constant pressure.
After Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s early exit (7 off 11), Zadran steadied the ship, forging an 84-run stand with Sediqullah Atal (54 off 40). His towering six over deep midwicket off Saghir Khan was a crowd-pleaser, showcasing his ability to dominate. Though he fell in the 17.4th over, caught off Saghir’s bowling, Zadran’s innings, backed by Azmatullah Omarzai (20* off 12) and Karim Janat (23* off 10), set up a total that proved too much for UAE.
In UAE’s chase of 189, Rashid Khan was the TCNI Hero of the Day, delivering a spellbinding performance. The Afghan spinner’s 4 overs, yielding 3 wickets for 21 runs at an economy of 5.25, was a masterclass in T20 bowling. His wickets of Ethan D’Souza (lbw), Asif Khan, and Dhruv Parashar broke UAE’s back, triggering a collapse that sealed Afghanistan’s 38-run win.
Rashid’s googlies and quick arm action bamboozled the batsmen, with just one six conceded. His early strike in the 8th over set the tone, and his relentless pressure never let up. Backed by Sharafuddin Ashraf’s three wickets, Rashid’s spell was the difference, cementing his status as a T20 great.