New Delhi, 16 February (H.S.):
Azmatullah Omarzai's stellar all-round display propelled Afghanistan to a thrilling five-wicket victory over United Arab Emirates on Monday in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026's 28th Group D match at Arun Jaitley Stadium, securing their maiden tournament triumph by chasing 161 in 19.2 overs.
Afghanistan, electing to field after winning the toss, restricted UAE to 160/9 in 20 overs—Omarzai claiming 4/15 in four overs, Mujeeb Ur Rahman snaring 2, and captain Rashid Khan grabbing 1 to reach 700 T20I wickets—led by Sohaib Khan's 68 off 48 and Alishan Sharafu's 40 off 31.
Afghanistan stumbled early, losing Rahmanullah Gurbaz (0) in the second ball of the first over to Junaid Siddique, but Gulbadin Naib (13) and Ibrahim Zadran (53 off 41: 6x4, 1x6) rebuilt with a 40-run stand—Zadran smashing 18 in one over—before Naib fell in the sixth.Sediqullah Atal (16 off 14) added 30 with Zadran, who anchored the innings, while Darwish Rasuli (33 off 23) and Omarzai forged a crucial 43-run fifth-wicket partnership; with 52 needed off five overs, Omarzai's unbeaten 40 off 21 (2x4, 3x6) culminated in a match-winning boundary on the second ball of the final over.
Afghanistan faces Canada next on Thursday in Chennai, while UAE meets South Africa on Wednesday.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
