Afghanistan managed to see off the series as they clinched a four-wicket victory over UAE in the T20I series decider and won the three-match affair by 2-1 on Tuesday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Afghanistan’s hopes of clinching the series were in jeopardy when they found themselves down to six wickets while still 20 runs behind the target.
Najibullah Zadran held on to his nerves and ensured that Afghanistan emerged victorious. While chasing a target of 127, Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz provided the ideal start by quickly putting up 30 runs on the board in 3.1 overs. Junaid Siddique removed Gurbaz but skipper Ibrahim Zadran’s arrival once again steadied their ship.
But things started to change after the dismissals of Zadran and Zazai. The middle order crumbled except for Zadran who remained unbeaten at 28 off 13 balls. Earlier in the innings, UAE won the toss and opted to bat. Naveen ul-Haq’s pace rattled UAE batters as they struggled to put up runs on the board.
UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem put up a valiant fight with his knock of 27. Ali Naseer’s 21 further helped UAE to reach a total of 126/9 which was well short of a competitive total.
Earlier in the series, Afghanistan kicked off the series with a comprehensive 72-run victory. UAE bounced back to level the series and win the game by 11 runs.
