Pakistan defeated UAE by 31 runs in the second match of the ongoing T20I tri-series in Sharjah. Saim Ayub was the star of the night for the Men in Green, delivering an all-round performance with a blazing fifty and a wicket with the ball.
After winning the toss, Pakistan elected to bat first. Ayub top-scored with a brilliant 69 off just 38 deliveries, hitting seven fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 181.58. He was well supported by Hasan Nawaz, who played an explosive knock of 56 from 26 balls, laced with two fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 215.38. Their contributions powered Pakistan to a total of 207 all-out in 20 overs. For UAE, Junaid Siddique and Saghir Khan both impressed with three wickets each.
Chasing 208, UAE suffered a setback in the sixth over when they lost their second and third wickets on consecutive balls. However, Asif Khan tried to bring his team back into the contest. He built two crucial partnerships — a 54-run stand with Dhruv Parashar and a 45-run stand with Saghir Khan. Despite his efforts, it wasn’t enough to take UAE over the line. Asif played a sensational innings of 77 off just 35 balls, smashing six fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 220.
For Pakistan, Hasan Ali was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Mohammad Nawaz delivered a highly economical spell, finishing with figures of 2/21 from four overs. Ayub’s all-round heroics earned him the Player of the Match award.
With this result, Pakistan have now made it two wins out of two, having earlier beaten Afghanistan in their opening game of the tri-series.
Their next match is against Afghanistan on September 2 while UAE will lock horns with Afghanistan tomorrow, September 1.
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