DELHI: Afghanistan secured their first win of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a five-wicket victory over the UAE at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday.
Chasing 161, Afghanistan suffered an early setback when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for a duck off the second ball of the innings by Junaid Siddique. Ibrahim Zadran and Gulbadin Naib steadied the chase with a measured stand, but Gulbadin fell for 13 off 12 balls, leaving the side at 40-2.
Sediqullah Atal contributed 16 before departing, while Zadran anchored the innings with a composed 53 from 41 deliveries, striking six fours and a six. After his dismissal, Darwish Rasooli and Azmatullah Omarzai ensured there were no further slip-ups. Rasooli made 33 off 23 balls before being dismissed at 140-5, while Omarzai remained unbeaten on 40 from 21 deliveries, hitting two fours and three sixes, as Afghanistan reached the target in 19.2 overs.
Earlier, the UAE endured a difficult start after choosing to bat. Aryansh Sharma was dismissed for a duck in the opening over, and captain Muhammad Waseem followed soon after, leaving the side at 13-2.
Alishan Sharafu (40 off 31) and Sohaib Khan (68 off 48) rebuilt with an 84-run partnership, but wickets fell in quick succession during the latter stages. The middle order collapsed, restricting UAE to 160.
Omarzai was Afghanistan’s standout performer with figures of 4-15, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman claimed two wickets and Rashid Khan chipped in with one.
