Pakistan overpower UAE by 31 runs in Sharjah tri-series clash
Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz shine with explosive half-centuries
SHARJAH – Pakistan continued their winning run in the UAE T20I tri-series with a 31-run victory over the hosts United Arab Emirates at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
The Green Shirts now sit firmly on top of the points table with two wins in two matches.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and elected to bat first, a decision that paid dividends. His side posted a formidable 207 all out in their 20 overs, powered by brilliant half-centuries from Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz.
Key performers
Ayub struck a fluent 69 from 38 balls with seven boundaries and four sixes, while Hasan Nawaz blasted a 26-ball 56 featuring six sixes. Their aggressive partnership lifted Pakistan after an early wobble, setting the stage for a daunting total despite wickets falling towards the end.
For UAE, Junaid Siddique and Muhammad Saghir Khan led the fightback with the ball, both claiming three wickets each to halt Pakistan’s charge in the latter overs.
Chasing 208, UAE’s innings began with promise as captain Muhammad Waseem raced to 33 before being run out. The key resistance came from Asif Khan, who played a superb knock of 77 to keep UAE in contention. However, the steady fall of wickets at the other end meant the chase lost momentum.
Pakistan’s bowlers tightened their grip, with young pacer Salman Mirza taking 2 for 5 in three overs, while the rest of the attack chipped in to restrict UAE to 176 all out, sealing a 31-run win.
Playing XIs
Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem.
UAE XI: Muhammad Waseem (c), Muhammad Zohaib, Asif Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra (wk), Ethan D’Souza, Dhruv Parashar, Muhammad Saghir Khan, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah.
Points table and fixtures
Pakistan now lead the tri-series table with 4 points from two matches, followed by Afghanistan and UAE who are yet to secure a victory.
Upcoming fixtures at Sharjah Cricket Stadium:
- 1 September: United Arab Emirates vs Afghanistan
- 2 September: Afghanistan vs Pakistan
- 4 September: Pakistan vs United Arab Emirates
- 5 September: United Arab Emirates vs Afghanistan
- 7 September: Final (Top two teams)