In a thrilling display during the tri-series held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Pakistan’s spin bowler, Abrar Ahmed, delivered an outstanding performance, guiding his team to the final. Ahmed’s bowling against UAE was exceptionally economical, with 15 out of 24 balls resulting in no runs scored. His impressive performance included taking four wickets, which significantly contributed to Pakistan’s consecutive victory over UAE. This win also marked the UAE’s third consecutive loss, effectively eliminating them from the series, following their prior defeat against Afghanistan.
Abrar Ahmed, who made his debut in the UAE tri-series, fully capitalized on the opportunity. UAE, in pursuit of a target of 172 runs, initially had a promising start from their openers. However, Abrar Ahmed disrupted this momentum by dismissing the in-form captain, Muhammad Waseem (19). Subsequently, he further solidified Pakistan’s position by claiming two wickets within two balls in the 13th over.
Abrar Ahmed’s figures in the match were remarkable, as he conceded only 9 runs in 4 overs while securing 4 wickets. He managed to dismiss three UAE batsmen within a span of 8 balls. Earlier in the match, Pakistan’s batsman Fakhar Zaman had achieved a half-century.
In the fifth match of the series, Pakistan, after choosing to bat first against UAE, faced an unstable beginning, losing 5 wickets at a score of only 80 runs. Fakhar Zaman and all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz then stabilized the innings, forming an unbroken partnership of 91 runs off 51 balls for the fifth wicket. Consequently, Pakistan set a target of 171 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs against UAE.
Fakhar Zaman’s innings was highlighted by an unbeaten 77 runs from 44 balls, including 10 fours and 2 sixes. Mohammad Nawaz contributed with an unbeaten 37 runs from 27 balls, consisting of 3 fours and 2 sixes. The remaining batsmen struggled to stay at the crease. Haider Ali took 2 wickets for UAE, with Junaid Siddiqui, Muhammad Rohid, and Dhruv Parashar each claiming a wicket. UAE’s chase started positively.
UAE, targeting 172 runs, initiated their chase with a promising start. A partnership of 41 runs was built between captain Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu for the initial wicket. However, Abrar Ahmed’s impact was evident when he dismissed Muhammad Waseem, who scored 19 runs off 19 balls. Subsequently, UAE’s batting faltered, resulting in a total of 140 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs.
Alishan Sharafu led UAE’s scoring with 68 runs from 51 balls, featuring 4 fours and 4 sixes. Dhruv Parashar remained unbeaten with 18 runs. Besides Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz secured a wicket each for Pakistan.