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SHARJAH: Asif Khan’s 40 off 28 went in vain as Fareed Ahmad held his nerve in the last over to seal a four-run victory for Afghanistan over UAE in the T20I tri-series here at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Set 171, UAE fell short of the target, scoring 166-5 in their 20 overs.
UAE started briskly in the chase with openers putting on a 65-run stand in seven overs. Muhammad Waseem, who made 44 off 29, remained the core aggressor while Alishan Sharafu played the second fiddle.
Noor Ahmed provided Afghanistan the much-needed breakthrough as the stand culminated with Sharafu’s wicket, who departed after making 27 off 23 balls.
UAE continued to bat steadily until Waseem’s wicket in the 10th over, which opened the door for Afghanistan. After his wicket, the visitors continued to strike at regular intervals.
With UAE 113-4 in 14.3 overs, Asif Khan paired up with Harshit Kaushik to give their team a glimmer of hope. The duo added 53 runs for the sixth wicket, eventually UAE requiring 17 off the last over.
However, Fareed Ahmad, who bowled the last over, held his nerve under pressure after going for a four and six off the first two balls. Asif sliced the third ball off over to leave the equation five required from three deliveries.
Fareed came back with two great yorkers and eventually got rid of Asif Khan on the last ball to seal a thrilling win for his team.
Asif Khan hit two maximums and four boundaries on his way to 40 from 28 balls.
For Afghanistan, it was an all-round bowling effort with Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, and Abdollah Ahmadzai picking up one wicket each. However, Sharafuddin Ashraf stood out, conceding just 20 runs in four overs and picking up a wicket.
Earlier, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran’s strong opening partnership propelled Afghanistan to a strong total.
Opting to bat first, Afghanistan amassed 170-4 in their allocated 20 overs.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran paired up to put on a 98-run stand in 11 overs. Both batters batted cautiously, particularly the former, picking up some form after having a lean run in the opening three matches.
However, UAE made a comeback with wickets on successive balls to send back both the openers. Gurbaz was the first to go after making 40 off 38 balls with the help of three fours and a six.
Ibrahim Zadran was castled by Haider Ali on the first ball of the 12th over, to halt Afghanistan’s progress.
The stand-in captain continued his good form with 48 off 35 balls, an innings which featured three sixes and fours.
Despite, UAE taking wickets at regular intervals in the latter half of the innings, Afghanistan managed to post a strong score.
For UAE, Haider Ali remained the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets in his four overs and only giving away 22 runs.
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