CHENNAI: Half-centuries from captain Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu powered the United Arab Emirates to a competitive total of 173-6 in their 20 overs against New Zealand in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.
Asked to bat first, the UAE suffered an early blow when opener Aryansh Sharma was dismissed for eight off six balls, having struck two boundaries, with Jacob Duffy providing the breakthrough.
Waseem and Alishan then rebuilt the innings with a composed partnership, adding 50 runs for the second wicket to steady the side. Alishan looked fluent throughout and brought up his 14th T20I half-century during the stand.
The duo later converted their effort into a century partnership, taking UAE past the 100-run mark as the score moved to 119-1 after 14 overs.
Mitchell Santner
The 107-run stand eventually ended when Mitchell Santner removed Alishan, who scored a crucial 55 off 47 balls, including five fours and two sixes.
Glenn Phillips struck soon after, dismissing Harshit Kaushik for two, leaving UAE at 124-3 in the 16th over. Waseem continued to hold the innings together and soon reached his 26th T20I fifty.
With support from Mayank Kumar, UAE crossed 150 in the 18th over. Lockie Ferguson then dismissed Kumar for a quick 21 off 13 balls. Despite losing two wickets late, UAE added valuable runs at the end, with Waseem finishing unbeaten on 66 off 45 balls, including four fours and three sixes.
