T20 World Cup 2026: Afghanistan earn first points, beat UAE
What's the story
Afghanistan earned their first points in the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup by beating the UAE at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. The Afghans first restricted the UAE to 160/9 (20 overs) before chasing the score down in the final over. Ibrahim Zadran slammed a match-winning 53, while Darwish Rasooli and Azmatullah Omarzai took them to victory. Omarzai shone with his all-round exploits.
Rescue
Zadran rescues Afghanistan
Afghanistan's chase started on a shaky note, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz falling for a two-ball duck. Although Zadran and Gulbadin Naib steadied the ship, Afghanistan were three down (70/3). Zadran, with his fluent knock, kept the scoreboard ticking. He reached his half-century off 37 balls in the 12th over. However, Muhammad Arfan dismissed Zadran for a 41-ball 53 (6 fours and 1 six).
Finish
Rasooli, Omarzai bolster Afghanistan
With Zadran's dismissal, Afghanistan were down to 97/4 in 13.1 overs. As the required rate crossed 10 runs an over, Darwish Rasooli and Omarzai found timely boundaries. However, Junaid Siddique struck with the crucial dismissal of Rasooli (33). Omarzai's 21-ball 40* (2 fours and 3 sixes) took Afghanistan home with four balls to spare. For the UAE, Siddique and Arfan took two wickets each.
Numbers
Zadran slams his third T20 WC fifty
Zadran raced to his third half-century in T20 World Cup history. Overall, this was his 15th T20I fifty. Notably, Zadran has the fourth-most runs for Afghanistan in the tournament (386 runs at 27.57). In 64 T20Is, the Afghan opener has raced to 1,770 runs at an average of 31.6. His tally includes a strike rate of 112.88.
Omarzai
Omarzai takes four wickets
Omarzai, who started the proceedings for Afghanistan, impressed with his variations. He dismissed Aryansh Sharma for a duck in the very first over. The former bowled another over in the Powerplay before returning in the middle overs. He dismissed Syed Haider and Harshit Kaushik in the 15th over. Bowling the 19th over, Omarzai removed Sohaib Khan to complete his four-fer (4/15).
Milestones
Maiden T20 WC four-fer for Omarzai
As mentioned, Omarzai recorded his maiden four-wicket haul in T20 World Cups. According to ESPNcricinfo, he now has the fourth-best match figures for Afghanistan in the tournament, only behind Fazalhaq Farooqi (5/9), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (5/20), and Rashid Khan (4/9). Overall, Omarzai became the fourth Afghan player to record four-plus wickets in a T20 World Cup innings.
Wickets
Omarzai reaches 50 T20I wickets
Omarzai has been among the wickets in the ongoing T20 World Cup. He took 3/41 against South Africa in the historic double Super Over thriller. In 65 T20Is, the Afghan all-rounder has raced past 50 wickets (53) at an average of 24.71. This was his third four-wicket haul in the format. His economy rate in T20Is reads 8.17.
Knock
Sohaib Khan bolsters UAE
Sohaib Khan came in after Omarzai and Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck with the new ball. Khan joined forces with Alishan Sharafu, adding 84 runs off 57 balls for the third wicket. While Sharafu departed before 100, Khan held his end. With the UAE down to 114/5, Khan hung around with a 37-ball half-century. He eventually fell to Omarzai, scoring a 48-ball 68.
Information
Afghanistan rise; SA reach Super 8
Afghanistan, who were earlier involved in a double Super-Over thriller with South Africa, finally earned their first points in Group D. While they climbed to the third spot, their win propelled South Africa to the Super 8. Afghanistan's final group encounter is against Canada.