Pakistan booked their place in the T20I tri-series final after defeating the United Arab Emirates by 31 runs in Sharjah on Thursday, thanks to a brilliant unbeaten 77 from Fakhar Zaman and career-best bowling figures from spinner Abrar Ahmed.
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Batting first after winning the toss, Pakistan were in early trouble, slipping to 80-5 in 11.3 overs. Openers Saim Ayub (11) and Sahibzada Farhan (16) fell cheaply, while skipper Salman Ali Agha managed only 7. Mohammad Haris added 14 and Hasan Nawaz 4, leaving Pakistan reeling before Fakhar and Mohammad Nawaz came to the rescue.
The pair stitched together a match-defining partnership of 91 runs off 51 balls for the sixth wicket. Fakhar played one of his finest T20I innings in recent memory, smashing 10 fours and 2 sixes in a 44-ball knock. It was his first half-century in 14 innings, his last coming against Ireland in May 2023. Nawaz supported superbly with a quick-fire 37 off 27 deliveries, including 2 sixes and 3 fours.
The late assault proved decisive, with Pakistan adding 74 runs in the final five overs. Nawaz took 19 runs off Junaid Siddique’s penultimate over with three fours and a six, while Fakhar dominated Mohammad Jawadullah in the last over by hitting five consecutive boundaries. Their fireworks lifted Pakistan to 171-5, a total that looked beyond reach for UAE.
In response, UAE’s batting faltered against Pakistan’s disciplined bowling attack. Star batter Mohammad Waseem fell for 19 and Asif Khan for just 7, leaving opener Alishan Sharafu to anchor the innings almost single-handedly. Sharafu fought valiantly with 68 off 51 balls, laced with 4 sixes and 4 fours, but found little support from the other end as wickets tumbled regularly.
Abrar Ahmed was the star with the ball, spinning through the middle order with remarkable control. The bespectacled spinner finished with extraordinary figures of 4-9 in his four overs, bettering his previous best of 3-19 against Bangladesh earlier this year. His ability to read conditions and maintain accuracy left the UAE batters struggling to score freely.
“I was watching the earlier matches and looking at the pitch conditions, so I bowled accordingly,” Abrar said after the match. “Yes, there was pressure, but the captain told me to be ready at any stage, and that gave me confidence.”
Captain Salman Ali Agha lauded his team’s effort, especially the contributions of Fakhar and Nawaz. “Credit goes to Fakhar and Nawaz; they gave us those extra 20 runs,” he said. “Fakhar is a match-winner — he doesn’t always get the respect he deserves, but today he showed his class. We knew if we reached 170, we could defend it.”
For UAE, spinner Haider Ali impressed with 2-17, but the lack of depth in batting and ineffective death bowling proved costly. The defeat was UAE’s third straight loss in the tournament, eliminating them from contention.
The win marked Pakistan’s third victory in four matches and not only secured their spot in Sunday’s final but also guaranteed Afghanistan’s qualification, regardless of the outcome of their final group game against the hosts. Pakistan will now head into the decider with renewed confidence, buoyed by Fakhar’s return to form and Abrar’s match-winning spell.
