Shoaib hits half century

Shoaib Khan’s half-century helped UAE score 160 runs for 9 wickets against Afghanistan in the ICC T20 World Cup Group D match here on Monday. Apart from playing an inning of 68 runs in 48 balls with four sixes and six fours, Shoaib made a partnership of 84 runs for the third wicket with Alishan Sharafu (40), due to which the UAE team was successful in reaching the challenging score.

UAE’s start was not good

For Afghanistan, fast bowlers Azmatullah Omarzai (four wickets for 15 runs) and Mujeeb ur Rehman (two wickets for 31 runs) gave shocks to UAE at regular intervals but Shoaib kept one end in check. Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan (1 wicket for 24 runs) won the toss and decided to bowl first. UAE lost the wickets of both its openers Aryansh Sharma (00) and captain Muhammad Wasim (10) for only 13 runs in the second over.

wickets kept falling continuously

On the fourth ball of the match, Aryansh was caught by wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz off the ball of Azmatullah. At this time the team’s account of runs had not even been opened. In the next over, Wasim hit two consecutive fours on Mujeeb but missed the off-spinner’s next ball and was LBW. Shoaib hit a six off Mujeeb over long off and hit three fours off fast bowler Ziaur Rehman in the next over while Sharafu also hit two fours off Mujeeb as UAE scored 55 runs for two wickets in the power play.

Sharafu welcomed Rashid with a six over midwicket and then sent Noor Ahmed’s ball into the crowd. However, when this partnership was putting UAE in a strong position, Rashid brought Mujeeb back to the bowling and while trying to play a big shot on his ball, Sharafu was caught by Ibrahim Zadran. Facing 31 balls, he hit three fours and two sixes. UAE’s century of runs was completed in the 13th over. Azmatullah gave a double blow to UAE by sending Syed Haider (13) and Harshit Kaushik (00) to the pavilion in the 15th over.