The Pakistan cricket team overcame a compeitive UAE side & qualified for the Super 4 stage. Shaheen Afridi’s performance with both bat & ball was the key reason for Men in Green’s win. Pakistan won the match by 41 runs & successfully defended the challenging total of 147 runs in a controversial night, as earlier there was one hour delay due to the tension between Andy Pycroft & PCB, which got sorted out.
UAE would be in a state of shock as they had a golden chance of making it to their maiden Super 4 stage. The side, though, should be proud of their performance, especially when they were annihilated by India in their opening match. It won’t be wrong to say that the side under the leadership of Muhammad Waseem has the knack of taking down world cricket & roar.
Fakhar Zaman & Shaheen Afridi’s flamboyant knocks take Pakistan’s total to 146-9
Pakistan was quite happy to bat first after winning the toss. The Men in Green made two changes to their line-up. They bolstered their batting line-up by adding Khushdil Shah in place of Sufiyan Muqeem & brought back deadly Haris Rauf in place of Faheem Ashraf. The changes proved to be a tactical one for Salman Ali Agha’s brigade.
Saim Ayub & Sahibzada Farhan’s opening woes continued. It was quite mind-boggling to see that Saim Ayub registered his third back-to-back golden ducks in the tournament. The rising left-handed batter throughout the tourney was keen to assert his dominance rather than getting his eye in and rotating the strike.
Junaid Siddique was getting ample assistance from the surface; the surface at Dubai had a bit of moisture for new fast-bowling bowlers. Junaid Siddique bowled wicket to wicket & hardly gave enough room for the batters to dominate. Pakistan was in serious trouble at 9-2 in 2.4 overs & it seemed that UAE could inflict a golden upset.
Skipper Salman Ali Agha, along with Fakhar Zaman, steadied the ship. Fakhar Zaman was the aggressor in chief as Pakistan had a near decent power-play score of 39 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. During the middle overs, the surface all of a sudden became a minefield as the spinners were getting awkward bounce & sharp turn.
Simranjeet Singh had come into the side in the place of Jawadullah as the UAE strengthened their spin bowling attack. Simranjeet Singh’s inclusion paid dividends for the UAE. The partnership between Fakhar Zaman & Salman Ali Agha was proving to be threatening, with Pakistan’s score being 67-2 at the halfway mark of 10 overs.
Dhruv Parashar broke the much-needed partnership in the 11th over when Salman Ali Agha fell in his trap. Pakistani skipper’s struggles were once again evident he managed to score 20 runs in 27 balls. The 61-run partnership in 50 balls between Fakhar Zaman & Salman Ali Agha gave some momentum to Pakistan, as at the time of Salman Ali Agha’s dismissal, Pakistan’s score was 70-3 in 11 overs.
Simranjeet Singh, the left arm-off spinner inflicted a mini-collapse in the 14th over. Simranjeet Singh came around the wicket and on the very first ball of the 14th over, he put Fakhar Zaman in an awkward position, and Fakhar gave a regulation catch to covers. Fakhar Zaman’s mental application was quite commendable. He scored a terrific half-century in 36 balls and hit 2 fours and 3 gigantic sixes. Pakistan’s score was 86-4 in 13.1 overs.
Simranjeet Singh continued his deception & on the 4th ball of 14th over, trapped Hasan Nawaz LBW and put Pakistan’s score in jeopardy at 88-5 in 13.4 overs. The UAE truly was in a very dominant position with Pakistan’s most of the star & rising batters back into the dug-out. UAE had a great chance of restricting Pakistan to a score below par 130-odd runs, but destiny had other plans.
Pakistan’s situation got from bad to worse as the score was 110-7 in 16.5 overs. Junaid Siddique was quite invincible at the closing stages of the match. Pakistan needed no less than a miracle to turn things in its favor. Shaheen Afridi & Mohammad Haris needed to shift gears quickly to end the innings on a high note. The onus was on Shaheen Afridi to deliver & he did that.
Shaheen Afridi & Mohammad Haris stitched a crucial 18-run partnership in 12 balls as the score was 128-8 in 18.5 overs. Shaheen Afridi then unleashed his beast version in the 20th over, where he hit 2 sixes and 1 four on the bowling of Muhammad Rohid Khan. Shaheen Afridi’s unbeaten, powerful cameo of 29 runs in 14 balls (*hit 3 fours and 2 sixes) took the score to 146-9.
During the last 5 overs, the death overs, Pakistan put up a courageous fight and intent unlike the first 15 overs. Pakistan scored 53 runs in the last 5 overs and lost 4 wickets, but got the extra cushion of 10-15 runs, which proved to be the difference in the end. Simranjeet Singh had a remarkable outing who taking 3 scalps and conceding 26 runs in his 4-over spell. Junaid Siddique, on the other hand, was breathing fire, taking 4 wickets and conceding 18 runs in his 4-over spell.
Shaheen Afridi & Co. rips apart the UAE’s batting lineup
UAE had its task cut out as chasing 147 runs wasn’t going to be an easy task at all. Muhammad Waseem & Alisha Sharafu got the team off to a good start with 19 runs in 2 overs. The Men in Green were in desperate need of wickets, and Shaheen Afridi got the massive wicket of Alishan Sharafu on the 3rd ball of the 2nd over, where he castled his stumps. At that time UAE’s score was 21-1 in 2.3 overs.
Skipper Muhammad Waseem fell into the ploy of Abrar Ahmed in the 5th over. Mohammad Nawaz took a running catch from point, which grabbed the eyeballs of the fans. Muhammad Waseem’s 14 runs in 15 balls knock wasn’t ample. Things got worse for the UAE, which lost another wicket, and in the powerplay overs, the UAE’s score was 38-3.
It required a herculean effort from the UAE to get over the finish line. The surface was getting no less than a minefield where spinners & fast bowlers were in absolute control of the game. At the halfway stage, the UAE’s score was 61-3 and needed another 86 runs to win & it was vital that Rahul Chopra & Dhruv Parashar continued their partnership for at least another 5 overs.
At the end of 13 overs, UAE’s score was 80-3 as the game was evenly poised. The UAE required another 67 runs to win the match, and most importantly, they had an advantage that they had 7 wickets in the tank. Haris Rauf, though, had other plans, who, in the 14th over, broke the 48-run partnership in 51 balls. Dhruv Parashar’s knock of 20 runs in 23 balls hurt UAE, unknowingly, given that he couldn’t convert his start.
UAE required another 62 runs in the last 6 overs, which was attainable, but needed a brisk cameo of 20-odd runs quickly from their batters. Abrar Ahmd & Salman Ali Agha ran through the UAE’s batting line-up, where they took a wicket apiece in the 15th & 16th over respectively. The match was getting out of hand for the UAE & needed another 50 runs from the last 4 overs.
Shaheen Afridi & Haris Rauf wasted no time in wrapping up the match. In the 18th over, Haris Rauf’s sheer pace was too tough for the UAE batters to handle. Pakistan bundled out the UAE for 105 in 17.4 overs. Pakistan won the match by 41 runs and sealed their berth for the Super 4 stage.
UAE, on the other hand, would be crestfallen given how they made a mess out of the target. It was always most likely going to be an arduous task for the UAE to chase down 147 runs when Alishan Sharafu & Muhammad Waseem were sent back to the dug out. One of Rahul Chopra (*35 runs in 35 balls) or Dhruv Parashar (*20 runs in 23 balls) needed to convert their starts into a big score like 60 odd runs then the result might have been different.
Pakistan would be relieved as it was no less than a jail break. It was a collective effort from Pakistan’s bowling unit, which was quite rare. Perhaps, it’s a sign of something positive for Pakistan cricket, which has been in all sorts of trouble given how the last 18 months have passed.
What lies ahead for Pakistan & UAE
Guess what, Pakistan’s next encounter is most likely against their arch-rivals India in the Super 4 stage on the upcoming Sunday, 21st September. Even with a 41-run win, Pakistan has a lot to ponder. Their batting once again failed to dominate apart from Fakhar Zaman & Shaheen Afridi, and we can say against India, they will be eyeing not only to win but to settle the equation of the no handshake controversy by winning the match rather than making a statement.
UAE, on the other hand, should be proud of their performance & most importantly, the way they fought in their last 2 matches. The side still has a long rally ahead, but there is hope that they can take on world-class teams. UAE still isn’t a full member nation, but these defeats will undoubtedly keep them in good stead as such experience is more than invaluable. UAE now would be eyeing a berth in the ICC T20 WC 2026 by playing T20 WC Asia Qualifiers.
Also Read:Â Asia Cup 2025: Shaheen Afrdi’s Powerful Cameo Sets A Challenging Total Of 147 To UAE