United Arab Emirates recorded a thrilling five wicket win over Canada in the T20 World Cup on Friday. The result came after a strong fightback with the bat in a tense chase in New Delhi.
UAE chased 151 and reached the target with two balls left. The team was under pressure at 66 for four in the 13th over. Aryansh Sharma and Sohaib Khan then changed the match with a match winning stand.
Sharma stayed calm and guided the chase with an unbeaten 74. Sohaib played attacking cricket and scored 51. He hit four fours and four sixes to put pressure back on Canada. The pair added 84 runs and brought UAE close to victory.
Sohaib completed his fifty from just 28 balls but got out in the final over. Muhammad Arfan then hit the winning run and sparked celebrations in the UAE camp. The win was UAE’s first in two matches in Group D.
Earlier, pace bowler Junaid Siddique played a key role with the ball. He took five wickets for 35 runs in four overs and stopped Canada from posting a bigger total. Canada finished on 150 for seven.
“In the first innings, we thought they might be going for 160 or 170,” said Siddique. “We bowled very well in the last few overs and knew that 150 was a chaseable total.”
Canada spinner Saad Bin Zafar also impressed. He took three wickets for 14 runs and put UAE’s top order under pressure early in the chase.
However, Sharma and Sohaib turned the match around. Their partnership lifted UAE to third place in the group, ahead of Afghanistan, who are still without a win.
New Zealand and South Africa sit at the top of the group with two wins each. They will meet in Ahmedabad on Saturday. The winner will become the first team from the group to confirm a place in the Super Eights.
