Afghanistan beat the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 38 runs in the third match of the T20I tri-series played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday.
Chasing the target of 189 runs, UAE could only manage 150 for eight in their allotted 20 overs, finishing 39 runs adrift.
UAE’s batting effort was led by skipper Muhammad Wasim, who played a valiant knock of 67, while Rahul Chopra also shone with a well-made 52.
However, the rest of the batting lineup failed to offer significant resistance, leaving the side unable to match the required momentum.
Afghanistan’s bowlers dominated the contest, with Rashid Khan and Sharafuddin Ashraf dismantling the middle order by taking three wickets each.
Fazalhaq Farooqi and veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi chipped in with a wicket apiece, ensuring UAE never truly threatened to chase down the target.
Put into bat first, Afghanistan overcame an early blow when opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz departed cheaply for seven in the fourth over, leaving the scoreboard at just 16/1.
The setback, however, paved the way for a solid recovery as Atal and Zadran combined for a fluent 84-run partnership off 55 deliveries for the second wicket.
Atal struck four boundaries and three sixes in his 40-ball 54 before falling to Saghir Khan in the 13th over.
Zadran carried on, anchoring the innings with a well-paced 63 off 40 balls, laced with three fours and four sixes.
Zadran then stitched a handy 40-run stand with all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai, taking Afghanistan past the 150 mark before losing his wicket in the 18th over.
Omarzai (21*) and Karim Janat (14*) provided late fireworks with an unbeaten 28-run stand, ensuring Afghanistan closed strongly at 188 despite Junaid Siddique conceding just four runs in the final over.
For UAE, Saghir Khan and Muhammad Rohid were the pick of the bowlers, bagging two wickets each.
Earlier, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) won the toss and elected to field first against Afghanistan.
Both nations have lost their first match to Pakistan and will try to get their first point on the table.
AFP adds:
Ace spinner Rashid Khan became the highest wicket-taker in Twenty20 internationals as he helped Afghanistan beat United Arab Emirates by 38 runs in Sharjah on Monday.
The wily 26-year-old took 3-21 -- reaching 165 wickets in his 98th T20I -- to derail UAE from 90-2 to 150-8 in 20 overs after setting them 189 to win in the tri-series match.
Afghanistan's total of 188-4 was built around a brilliant 40-ball 63 from Ibrahim Zadran and a 40-ball 54 by Sediqullah Atal as they came back after losing to Pakistan in their first game.
UAE captain Muhammad Waseem scared Afghanistan with a rapid-fire 37-ball 67, comprising six maximums and four boundaries in his 23rd T20I half-century.
But Waseem's departure sparked a collapse as Rashid dismissed Ethan D'Souza (12), Asif Khan (one) and Dhruv Parashar (one) to overhaul New Zealand pacer Tim Southee's T20I record of 164 wickets in 126 games.
Afghanistan owed their total to Zadran and Atal as they added 84 for the second wicket after being put in to bat.
Atal's maiden T20I fifty had four boundaries and three sixes, while Zadran knocked four sixes and three hits to the rope.
Karim Janat hit two sixes and as many boundaries in his 10-ball 23 not out while Azmatullah Omarzai's undefeated 12-ball 20 contained two sixes.
Muhammad Rohid and Saghir Khan grabbed two wickets apiece for UAE.
Pakistan, who won both their matches in the tri-series, face Afghanistan on Tuesday.
All three teams play each other twice, with the top two disputing the September 7 final.
Playing Squads
UAE XI: Muhammad Waseem (capt), Muhammad Zohaib, Asif Khan, Rahul Chopra (wk), Ethan D'Souza, Harshit Kaushik, Dhruv Parashar, Saghir Khan, Haider Ali, Muhammad Rohid, Junaid Siddique
Afghanistan XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (capt), Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi,