UAE go down fighting to Afghanistan in third T20

The just concluded DP World ILT20 has helped the UAE players by leaps and bounds and that was on show despite the national team losing their T20 International series against Afghanistan.

The ILT20 featured 24 UAE players who rubbed shoulders with some of the top players from the cricketing world.

After losing the first match, the UAE had leveled the series by winning the second game. And they went down fighting to Afghanistan in the third T20 International at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

The UAE, who had beaten Afghanistan on Saturday to level the series 1-1, lost a nail-biting last-over thriller by six wickets.

Put into bat, the UAE were well served by their openers — the big-hitting Muhammad Waseem and Vriitya Aravind. Waseem top scored with a sublime 75 from 50 deliveries that was embellished with eight boundaries and three sixes. Aravind stroked 59 from 53 balls which had seven fours and a six.

The pair also stitched together a century partnership — 129 from 94 deliveries as the UAE racked up 163-6.

Afghanistan slumped to 86-4 in their pursuit of the target but a 80-run stand for the fifth wicket between opener Ibrahim Zadran and Karim Janat saved the day for the visitors as they crossed the line with just five balls to spare.

Nonetheless, it was a series where the UAE can take a lot of positives.

BRIEF SCORES

• UAE go down to Afghanistan in first T20 International