Fakhar Zaman’s 77 and Abrar Ahmed’s 4/9 helped Pakistan beat the UAE by 31 runs to seal a place in the final of the UAE T20I Tri-Series.
Pakistan posted a challenging total of 171 after winning the toss, with Fakhar top-scoring for his team. The Men in Green lost both openers — Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub — in the Powerplay. Fakhar came in at number three and proved to be a saviour with the bat for his team. At 80/5, the team was under pressure when Fakhar and Mohammad Nawaz put on a match-defining partnership of 91 runs. Both carried their bat in the process.
The host nation was sloppy in the field, which allowed both Fakhar and Nawaz to capitalise. In the final four overs, a total of 69 runs were scored to take the total past 170.
“It was never a 170 wicket; credit must go to Fakhar and Nawaz,” said Salman Ali Agha after the match.
After putting on a par total, UAE batters applied early pressure on the Pakistan bowlers as their openers survived the first six overs. Abrar came on as first change and dismissed the in-form UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem.
Salman lauds match-winner Abrar
Thereafter, UAE kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Alishan Sharafu was the only standout for the hosts in the second innings with his 68-run knock. Apart from him, no one got going, which kept the UAE to 140 in their allotted 20 overs. Playing his first game of the series, Abrar conceded only nine runs in his four overs. Nawaz and Shaheen Shah Afridi took one wicket each.
“Abrar is an outstanding bowler and a match-winner. The way Shaheen is bowling is outstanding. We come to the ground, assess the conditions, and use bowlers accordingly,” said Salman.
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