Fakhar Zaman shone with the bat and Abrar Ahmed mesmerized with ball in hand as Pakistan recovered from a tricky situation to beat UAE by 31 runs and qualify for the finals and took Afghanistan along with them with UAE knocked out. Both Fakhar Zaman and Abrar Ahmed were determined to perform and came out with flying colours. Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Pakistan rode on an unbeaten 77 from Fakhar Zaman and an invaluable 37 off 27 balls from Mohammad Nawaz to post a competitive 171/5 in 20 overs.
In reply, Abrar Ahmed’s mesmerizing 4/9 in 4 overs bamboozled UAE and despite a defiant 68 by Alishan Sharafu, UAE fell short of the target as none of the other batters could provide real resistance to the Pakistan bowling as UAE finished with 140/7 in 20 overs. Pakistan with this win went up to 6 points from 4 games and on top of the table through to the finals while UAE stayed on 0 points and are out of reckoning for the final spot. Afghanistan through to the finals as well.
Fakhar Zaman’s unbeaten 77 propels Pakistan to 171/5
Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub came to open the batting for Pakistan while Junaid Siddique had ball in hand for UAE. Farhan once again started on the front foot as he slapped Siddique through covers and then a few balls later pulled him away for a boundary. Muhammad Rohid Khan had ball from the other end and bowled a great second over. Dhruv Parashar came onto bowl and was welcomed with a maximum from Saim Ayub over deep midwicket. Farhan too hit him over deep midwicket for the maximum.
But Parashar hit back getting rid of Farhan for 16 off 11 balls with 2 fours and a maximum to his name. He bowled it slightly short and turning in, Farhan went deep and pulled it to deep midwicket where Ethan came in and took a comfortable catch. Fakhar Zaman came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Rohid continued and was hit for a boundary by Ayub through extra cover. Siddique got into the act and got rid of Ayub for 11 off 10 balls with a maximum to his name as with that wicket, Siddique reached 100 wickets in T20Is for UAE, the first UAE bowler to achieve the feat.
Siddique bowled it full and angling away from over the wicket, Ayub came forward to play a cover drive but he only managed an outside edge which is easily taken by the keeper. Captain Salman Ali Agha came out to bat and got off the mark with a brace. Zaman was in the zone as he smashed a maximum off Siddique over wide long-on. Rohid Khan bowled the final over of powerplay and was hit for a boundary through an outside edge to third man region past the keeper. But Rohid had his man dismissing Pakistan captain Agha for 7 off 5 balls with a boundary to his name.
He bowled a short of a length angling across off-stump, Agha looked to steer it through third man but the ball got big on him and took the outside edge with Rahul Chopra taking the catch. Keeper batter Mohammad Haris came out to bat next. After the powerplay, Pakistan were 50/3 in 6 overs. Muhammad Jawadullah came into the attack next. Haris hit him him for a boundary in front of square. Haris took on Rohid and deposited him over deep backward square leg for the maximum.
Dhruv Parashar returned and Zaman steered it through short third man for a boundary. Haider Ali came into the attack and got rid of Mohammad Haris for 14 off 17 balls with one four and one six to his name. He darted it very full on off-stump, Haris looked to sweep but he missed and got struck on the pad. The appeal was given and Haris had to go. Hasan Nawaz came out to bat next as Pakistan at the halfway stage of the innings after 10 overs were 74/4.
Parashar returned after Drinks and bowled a decent over. Haider Ali got rid of Hasan Nawaz for 4 off 6 balls. He bowled a good length delivery coming in with the arm and pitched on around off-stump and turned away a little. Hasan Nawaz looked to defend from the crease and got a faint outside edge through to the keeper. Mohammad Nawaz came out to bat next and got off the mark soon.
Fakhar broke the shackles a tad bit by hitting a boundary through backward point. Haider Ali bowled another good over. Ethan Carl D’Souza came into the attack and kept things tight as well. After 15 overs, Pakistan were 97/5. Nawaz smashed Haider Ali over deep midwicket for the maximum as the 100 came up for Pakistan in 15.2 overs. Nawaz then got a reprieve as Asif Khan at deep backward square leg put him down off Haider Ali. Then Fakhar was also dropped by Alishan Sharafu at long-on as Haider was the unfortunate bowler yet again.
Fakhar added insult to injury now as he smashed Siddique for a maximum over long-off. Soon, the southpaw reached his half-century off 34 balls with a boundary towards deep midwicket and long-on region. Zaman then sliced Jawadullah away for a boundary through deep backward point. Soon, the 50-run stand came up between Fakhar and Mohammad Nawaz. Nawaz then tore apart Siddique by hitting a hat-trick of boundaries and finished the over with a maximum over deep point for a flat maximum as 20 came off the 19th over.
Fakhar got into the act in the final over by taking on Jawadullah as after crossing 150 in 19.1 overs he hit Jawadullah for 5 consecutive boundaries to make it 22 runs off the over as Pakistan got 42 off the last 12 balls to propel their score to 171/5 in 20 overs. Fakhar Zaman’s 77* off 44 balls was laced with 10 fours and 2 sixes while Mohammad Nawaz’s 37* off 27 balls was laced with 3 fours and 2 sixes. 5 extras given by the fielding side.
Haider Ali was the pick of the bowlers for UAE and could have had more wickets as he finished with 2/17 in 4 overs. Muhammad Rohid Khan bowled well for his 1/21 in 4 overs. Dhruv Parashar finished with 1/35 in 4 overs. Junaid Siddique was dispatched for 52 runs in 4 overs despite picking up a wicket. Muhammad Jawadullah went for 38 in 3 overs while Ethan Carl D’Souza bowled an over for 5 runs. UAE now needed 172 to win in 20 overs to keep their final hopes alive.
Abrar Ahmed’s 4/9 restricts UAE to 140/7
Chasing 172 for the win, Alishan Sharafu and captain Muhammad Waseem walked out to bat for UAE while Shaheen Afridi had ball in hand for Pakistan. Sharafu hit Afridi through the point region for a boundary. Salman Mirza shared the new ball from the other end. Sharafu cut him through deep backward point for a boundary. Afridi continued and bowled a decent over. Waseem finally got into the act as he slashed Mirza over deep backward point for the maximum.
Abrar Ahmed was introduced into the attack inside the powerplay. He bowled a miserly first over. Mohammad Nawaz got the ball to bowl the final over of powerplay. Waseem welcomed Nawaz with a boundary through short third man before Sharafu joined in the fun by hitting the same bowler over extra cover for a boundary. After 6 overs of powerplay, UAE were off to a solid start at 41/0.
Abrar struck right after the powerplay as he got rid of Waseem for 19 off 19 balls with one four and one six to his name. Abrar bowled it full outside off-stump from over the wicket. Waseem looked to slog it over midwicket but he miscued it badly to backward point where Faheem Ashraf took the catch as the carrom ball deceived the batter here. Ethan Carl D’Souza walked out to the middle and got off the mark straightaway. Captain Salman Ali Agha came onto bowl next. He bowled a decent over.
The 50 came up for UAE in 8.1 overs. Nawaz kept things under check. Saim Ayub now came into the attack. He kept things tidy as UAE after 10 overs at the halfway stage of the chase were 58/1 and needed 114 off 60 balls with 9 wickets in hand. Sharafu finally broke the shackles as he hit Nawaz for back-to-back maximums. But Nawaz got himself a wicket getting rid of Ethan for 9 off 14 balls.
Nawaz bowled a length ball on the stumps, Ethan rocked into the back foot and looked to pull it over deep square leg as the ball went straight into the hands of Saim Ayub at deep backward square leg. Asif Khan came out to bat next. Asif took on Ayub and deposited him down the ground for the maximum over long-off. Abrar returned and got rid of Asif Khan for 7 off 5 balls with a maximum to his name.
He tossed it up full outside off-stump turned away a touch, Asif looked to smash it down the ground and mistimed it high in the air towards long-off. Shaheen and Mohammad Nawaz both went for it and the latter bailed out at the last moment. Shaheen kept his eye on the ball and held onto the catch. Keeper batter Rahul Chopra came out to bat and fell for a silver duck as Abrar had two in the over.
Abrar bowled a googly tossed up on a length outside off-stump, turned in. Chopra failed to pick it from the hand and went back to fend it but got beaten on the inside edge. He got wrapped on the front pad as the appeal was given by the umpire. Harshit Kaushik came out to bat next. Sharafu then launched Ayub over long-off to reach his half-century off 38 balls. He hit another six down the ground off the same bowler. The 100 came up for UAE in 14.2 overs. Abrar then got another as he dismissed Harshit Kaushik for 3 off 5 balls.
He bowled it fuller length on the leg stump, Kaushik got inside the line and looked to go over deep backward square leg but mistimed it straight to Faheem Ashraf who made no mistake in the end. Dhruv Parashar came out to bat next. After 15 overs, UAE are 102/5 and now needed 70 runs off 30 balls with 5 wickets in hand. Sharafu managed to get a boundary away off Mirza. Shaheen Afridi came back into the attack and got rid of Sharafu for 68 off 51 balls with 4 fours and 4 sixes to his name.
Afridi bowled a full and wide delivery outside off-stump, Sharafu backed away and toe ended it to mid-off. Salman Ali Agha jumped at the edge of the circle and took a fine catch. Haider Ali came out to bat next. Mirza bowled a decent over. Haider managed to get a boundary away off Afridi. Faheem Ashraf came to bowl the final over of the game. Haider Ali was run out for 12 off 9 balls while trying to get a second run as Salman did well to throw it back to the bowler and the run out was completed at the bowler’s end. Junaid Siddique came out to bat next.
Parashar hit Faheem for a boundary through deep midwicket and got a couple of twos to end the contest as UAE finished with 140/7 in 20 overs. Parashar remained unbeaten on 18 off 15 balls with a boundary to his name. 4 extras given by the fielding side as Pakistan won the contest by 31 runs and made their way into the summit clash on Sunday.
Abrar Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan with figures of 4/9 in 4 overs. Shaheen Afridi bowled well for his 1/23 in 4 overs. Mohammad Nawaz got a wicket in his 1/30 in 3 overs. The rest went wicketless but bowled decently as Pakistan were victors in the end. Abrar Ahmed was awarded Player of the Match as Pakistan will face Afghanistan in the final on Sunday.
What Lies Ahead
The summit clash is set but before that we have the last league game coming up for you later tonight as Afghanistan takes on UAE from 8:30 PM IST in the 6th clash on 5th September 2025. This is the last league game before the final on Sunday. Can UAE bounce back and end their campaign on a high? Or will Afghanistan notch up another win over UAE?
Let’s see how things unfold in this clash and see who comes out on top at the end of tonight.
Also Read: UAE T20I Tri-Series 2025: Afghanistan Registers First Win In Tournament By Thrashing UAE.