Afghanistan survived a brief scare from Muhammad Waseem to ultimately secure a comfortable 38-run victory, their first of the competition. As so often, it was Rasgid Khan who led the way for them, his 3 for 21 derailing the UAE at a critical juncture midway through their innings just when they looked to have made a fist of chasing 189. He also became the highest wicket-taker in men’s T20I.
That target was set thanks to half-centuries from Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal, whose 84-run partnership put their side on course after the early loss of Rahmanullah Gurbaz. UAE turned in a better bowling performance than they managed against Pakistan, with their seam bowlers keeping Afghanistan quiet for the most part through the powerplay and then in phases during the middle overs, but paid the price for losing their discipline at the death. A priceless cameo from Karim Janat in the penultimate over saw 22 runs scored, and helped Afghanistan above par.
UAE rely so often on Waseem for a realistic shot, and that’s exactly what he provided as he flew out of the blocks. They suffered none of the early difficulties Afghanistan had at the start as they stayed ahead of the asking rate thanks largely to their captain. But it always had the feel of a solo effort, and when he was dismissed, no one could replicate that scoring rate, and Afghanistan had enough on the scoreboard, and with the ball, to make the win look cushier than it once looked.
The pressure was squarely on Afghanistan at the start, having lost the toss and beginning the day at the bottom of the table. That pressure was compounded after Junaid Siddique and Muhammad Rohid got through three tight overs that allowed just 16, before Rohid drew an edge from a struggling Gurbaz to send him on his way. Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran saw through a further couple of overs with the first five overs of the Powerplay decisively going the home side’s way.
But UAE introduced seam bowler Saghir Khan for the final over, and the pair saw an opportunity. A slot ball first up was whipped over midwicket, and Saghir’s lengths didn’t improve as the over went on. Afghanistan plundered 18 from it, and it set the partnership on its way.
Atal picked his moments through the remainder of the partnership, finding a four or six just about every over, with Zadran cashing in when Dhruv Parashar sent down an errant over. It wasn’t until the Afghan 100 was brought up that the UAE finally broke the partnership, but with eight overs to go, Afghanistan had the platform they needed to launch.
And launch they did. Throughout much of the innings, the UAE had held on to Afghanistan’s coattails, making sure they never pulled too far ahead. That faded in the final four overs, though, as the wheels came off for the hosts and Afghanistan’s lower middle order plundered 49 off the following three overs.
Azmatullah Omarzai – whose cameo was pivotal to his side’s acceleration, triggered the gear change with a six over the onside, with Zadran matching him later in the over. Omarzai would go after Saghir too, but it was Janat’s takedown of Rohid – who had permitted just 12 in his first three and taken two wickets – that took the game out of the UAE’s hands. Two sixes and two fours off saw Rohid bleed 22, and though Siddique would follow up with a sensational final over, the damage by now had been done.
Talismanic captain Waseem had put UAE on course with another excellent display that combined power with timing and judiciousness, keeping up with the asking rate without appearing to take too many risks. There were imperious signs that belligerence would continue unabated when he piledrove Rashid for a straight six over the sightscreen in his second over; by the end of the ninth over, they required just over nine with eight wickets still in hand.
All of that changed in four deliveries. Waseem miscued one off Sharafudin and was gone for a 37-ball 67, leaving Asif Khan to try and repeat the heroics that came in vain against Pakistan.
The first ball he faced off Rashid, though, he misread the turn, and found his off stump rattled. Their two main attacking threats gone and the asking rate climbing, Rashid sliced through the UAE, polishing off Ethan D’Souza and Parashar off his spell’s final delivery. By now the asking rate had climbed to nearly 16, and only an unbeaten half-century from Rahul Chopra, achieved with a six off the game’s final ball, reduced Afghanistan’s margin of victory.
Brief Scores:
Afghanistan 188 for 4 in 20 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 63, Sediqullah Atal 54, Darwish Rasooli 10, Azmatuooah Omarzai 20*, Karim Janat 23*; Muhammad Rohid 2-34, Saghir Khan 2-52) beat UAE 150 for 8 in 20 overs (Muhammad Waseem 67, Etan D’Souza 12, Rahul Chopra 52*[ Fazalhaq Farooki 1-24, Sharafuddin Ashraf 3-24, Rashid Khan 3-21,Mohammad Nabi 1-09) by 38 runs
[Cricinfo]
