T20 World Cup: Afghanistan get consolation win against UAE

(Web Desk) – Afghanistan on Monday had the taste of victory when they defeted United Arab Emirates (UAE) by five wickets in the 28th match of the T20 World Cup at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

Chasing 160-run target, Afghanistan crossed the finish line on the second ball of the last over. Ibrahim Zadran led his team from the front with 53 runs off 41 balls after fellow opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed on the second ball of the innings. Azmatullah Omarzai (40 not out) and Darwish Abdul Rasooli (33) were the other prominent contributors.

For the UAE, Junaid Siddique and Muhammad Arfan grabbed two wickets each for 23 and 30 runs respectively.

Earlier put in to bat, the UAE scored 160-9 in their quota of 20 overs. Sohaib Khan remained the top scorer with 48-ball 68 which contained six fours and four sixes. Alishan Sharafu hit 40 off 31 ball.

Azmatullah Omarzai was the most successful bowler for Afghanistan by taking four wickets conceding just 15 runs, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman captured two scalps for 31 runs.

Both teams have played three matches each and won a one match. They are out of the running for the Super Eights stage.

The teams have made changes in their line ups for today’s match. Afghanistan brought in pacer Ziaur Rahman in place of left-arm quick Fazal Farooqi. On the other hand, UAE have rung in two changes: Simranjeet Singh and Syed Haider replace Muhammad Farooq and Mayank Kumar.

TEAMS

Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi

United Arab Emirates: Muhammad Waseem(c), Aryansh Sharma (wk), Alishan Sharafu, Sohaib Khan, Syed Haider, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Arfan, Haider Ali, Simranjeet Singh, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah