In the UAE tri-series, Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed produced a stellar performance, propelling his team to the final. He bowled with remarkable economy, delivering 15 dot balls out of 24 against UAE. His impressive performance included taking four wickets, which helped Pakistan secure a convincing victory over UAE, their second consecutive win in the series. This defeat also meant UAE suffered a hat-trick of losses, thus ending their tournament run, having previously lost to Afghanistan.
Abrar Ahmed, who was playing his first match in the UAE tri-series, capitalized on the opportunity. UAE, setting out to chase a target of 172 runs, began with a strong opening partnership. However, Abrar Ahmed disrupted their momentum by dismissing the captain, Muhammad Waseem (19). He then further solidified Pakistan’s position by claiming two wickets in two deliveries in the 13th over.
Abrar Ahmed’s bowling figures were outstanding, with just 9 runs conceded in 4 overs, alongside 4 wickets taken. He dismissed three UAE batsmen within 8 balls. Earlier in the match, Pakistan’s batsman Fakhar Zaman scored a half-century.
In the fifth match of the series, Pakistan batted first against UAE and experienced a challenging start, losing 5 wickets for just 80 runs. Fakhar Zaman and all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz then stabilized the team’s innings by building an unbeaten partnership of 91 runs in 51 balls for the fifth wicket. Consequently, Pakistan managed to score 171 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs against UAE.
Fakhar Zaman played an unbeaten innings of 77 runs from 44 balls, including 10 fours and 2 sixes. Mohammad Nawaz contributed an unbeaten 37 runs off 27 balls, which featured 3 fours and 2 sixes. The other batsmen struggled to score significantly. Haider Ali secured 2 wickets for UAE, while Junaid Siddiqui, Muhammad Rohid, and Dhruv Parashar each took a wicket. UAE’s chase began with a promising start.
UAE, aiming for the 172-run target, began their chase well. A partnership of 41 runs was established between captain Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu for the first wicket. However, Abrar Ahmed dismissed Muhammad Waseem, who scored 19 runs off 19 balls. Following this, UAE’s innings stumbled, resulting in a score of 140 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs.
Alishan Sharafu top-scored for UAE, with 68 runs from 51 balls, including 4 fours and 4 sixes. Dhruv Parashar remained unbeaten with 18 runs. Besides Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz each took a wicket for Pakistan.