SHARJAH: Afghanistan put up a solid batting display to post 170 runs in a T20I Tri- Series match against UAE on Friday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Skipper Ibrahim Zadran led from the front with a fluent 48 off 35 balls, showcasing excellent timing and power with three fours and three sixes. He built a strong 98-run opening stand with wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who played a more measured knock of 40 off 38 deliveries, including three boundaries and a six.
After losing both openers in quick succession, Afghanistan briefly stumbled. Mohammad Ishaq struggled to get going, managing just 5 off 10 balls before being stumped off Simranjeet Singh. But the innings gained momentum again thanks to a blistering cameo from Karim Janat, who smashed 28 off 14 balls, including three sixes, before falling in the 17th over.
Finishing duties were well handled by Gulbadin Naib (20 off 14)* and Azmatullah Omarzai (14 off 9)*, who added valuable late runs with quick-fire boundaries, lifting the run rate to 8.50 per over by the end of the innings.
Among the bowlers, Haider Ali was the standout for UAE, taking 2 wickets for 25 runs, including the crucial scalps of Ibrahim Zadran and Janat. Muhammad Farooq and Simranjeet Singh chipped in with a wicket apiece.
Afghanistan’s total of 170/4 sets up an exciting chase under lights, with their bowlers now tasked with defending the score on a traditionally spin-friendly Sharjah surface.
Earlier, Afghanistan’s captain Ibrahim Zadran won the toss and elected to bat first, knowing the trend that batting second has not chased the target successfully in this tri-series so far.
Afghanistan Squad
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Seddiqullah Atal, Darwish Rasuli, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad, AM Gajanfar, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Mohammad Ishaq, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Gulbadin Naib.
United Arab Emirates Squad
Muhammad Zohaib, Muhammad Waseem (capt), Ethan D’Souza, Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra (wk), Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Sagheer Khan, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Aryansh Sharma, Muhammad Farooq.
