Afghanistan clinched a narrow 4-run victory over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the sixth and final league match of the Tri-Nation T20 Series in Sharjah on Friday night, 24NewsHD TV reported.
Winning the toss, Afghanistan opted to bat first and posted a challenging total of 170 for 4 in their allotted 20 overs.
In reply, the UAE came close but ultimately fell short, managing 166 for 5 at the end of their innings.
Muhammad Waseem (44) and Asif Khan (40) played crucial knocks, while Alishan Sharafu added 27 runs.
Despite their efforts, the Emirati side could not overcome Afghanistan’s disciplined bowling attack in the final overs.
The defeat meant UAE ended their campaign without a single win, losing all four of their matches in the tournament.
With this victory, Afghanistan now join Pakistan in Sunday’s final in Sharjah, where the two sides will battle for the Tri-Nation Series title.
Earlier, Batting first, Afghanistan built their innings around solid contributions from the top order.
Ibrahim Zadran top-scored with 48 runs while wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz added a brisk 40.
Middle-order batsman Karim Janat chipped in with 28 runs, and Gulbadin Naib supported with 20, ensuring Afghanistan reached a strong total despite losing only four wickets.
On the bowling front, the UAE managed to pick up timely breakthroughs but struggled to contain the flow of runs.
Haider Ali picked up two wickets, while Simranjeet Singh and Muhammad Farooq claimed a wicket apiece.
The UAE now faces the challenge of chasing 170 runs to register their first victory in the series, as they continue to search for a breakthrough win in the competition.
Teams
UAE: Muhammad Waseem (c), Muhammad Zohaib, Asif Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra (wk), Harshit Kaushik, Haider Ali, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Rohid, Junaid Siddique, Simranjeet Singh
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Abdullah Ahmadzai
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) cricket team remains winless in the ongoing series after suffering defeats in all of their matches so far.
Despite playing on familiar territory, the Emirati side has been unable to register a single victory, highlighting the gulf in experience and performance compared to their opponents.