In a nail-biting encounter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Afghanistan secured their first win of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, defeating the United Arab Emirates by five wickets with just four balls to spare. This crucial victory keeps Afghanistan in contention for a spot in the Super 8 stage, breathing new life into their campaign after earlier setbacks.
The match, played on February 16, 2026, saw UAE post a competitive 160/9 in their 20 overs, thanks to valiant knocks from Sohaib Khan and Alishan Sharafu. Afghanistan, electing to field first after winning the toss, relied on a stellar all-round performance from Azmatullah Omarzai to turn the game in their favor.
UAE Sets a Challenging Target
UAE started cautiously but lost early wickets, with opener Aryansh Sharma dismissed for a duck in the first over by Omarzai. Captain Muhammad Waseem followed soon after, trapped lbw by Mujeeb Ur Rahman for 10. However, a resilient partnership between Alishan Sharafu (40 off 31 balls) and Sohaib Khan (68 off 48 balls) steadied the innings, pushing UAE past the 100-run mark.
Khan’s aggressive batting, featuring six fours and four sixes, was the highlight of UAE’s innings, bringing up his fifty in 37 balls. But Omarzai’s return spell proved decisive, claiming four wickets for just 15 runs in his four overs, including the scalps of Khan, Syed Haider, and Harshit Kaushik. Late run-outs and tight bowling from Rashid Khan restricted UAE to 160/9.
UAE Batting Scorecard
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aryansh Sharma † | c †Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Azmatullah Omarzai | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Muhammad Waseem (c) | lbw b Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 166.66 |
| Alishan Sharafu | c Ibrahim Zadran b Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 40 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 129.03 |
| Sohaib Khan | c Mujeeb Ur Rahman b Azmatullah Omarzai | 68 | 48 | 6 | 4 | 141.66 |
| Syed Haider | b Azmatullah Omarzai | 13 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 130.00 |
| Harshit Kaushik | c †Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Azmatullah Omarzai | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Muhammad Arfan | hit wicket b Rashid Khan | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Haider Ali | run out (†Rahmanullah Gurbaz) | 13 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 108.33 |
| Simranjeet Singh | not out | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 |
| Junaid Siddique | run out (Rashid Khan/†Rahmanullah Gurbaz) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 150.00 |
Extras: 10 (lb 4, nb 2, w 4)
Total: 160/9 (20 overs, RR: 8.00)
Afghanistan Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ | Dots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azmatullah Omarzai | 4 | 0 | 15 | 4 | 3.75 | 15 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 4 | 0 | 31 | 2 | 7.75 | 12 |
| Ziaur Rahman | 4 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 10.75 | 6 |
| Rashid Khan | 4 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 6.00 | 13 |
| Noor Ahmad | 3 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 11.66 | 5 |
| Gulbadin Naib | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8.00 | 1 |
Afghanistan’s Tense Chase
Chasing 161, Afghanistan got off to a rocky start with wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz falling for a duck in the opening over to Junaid Siddique. However, Ibrahim Zadran anchored the innings with a composed 53 off 41 balls, including six fours and a six, reaching his fifty in 37 balls.
Wickets fell at regular intervals, with Gulbadin Naib (13), Sediqullah Atal (16), and Darwish Rasooli (33) providing support but unable to convert. With the required run rate climbing, Omarzai stepped up, smashing an unbeaten 40 off 21 balls (two fours, three sixes) to guide his team home. He sealed the win in style with a boundary off Siddique in the 19.2 over.
Afghanistan Batting Scorecard
| Batsman | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz † | c Sohaib Khan b Junaid Siddique | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Ibrahim Zadran | c Muhammad Waseem b Muhammad Arfan | 53 | 41 | 6 | 1 | 129.26 |
| Gulbadin Naib | c Kaushik b Muhammad Arfan | 13 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 108.33 |
| Sediqullah Atal | b Muhammad Jawadullah | 16 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 114.28 |
| Darwish Rasooli | b Junaid Siddique | 33 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 143.47 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | not out | 40 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 190.47 |
| Mohammad Nabi | not out | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
Extras: 4 (w 4)
Total: 162/5 (19.2 overs, RR: 8.37)
UAE Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ | Dots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junaid Siddique | 3.2 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 6.90 | 10 |
| Haider Ali | 4 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 8.25 | 7 |
| Muhammad Jawadullah | 4 | 0 | 39 | 1 | 9.75 | 7 |
| Muhammad Arfan | 4 | 0 | 30 | 2 | 7.50 | 9 |
| Simranjeet Singh | 4 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 9.25 | 5 |
Omarzai Shines as Player of the Match
Azmatullah Omarzai’s match-winning contributions earned him the Player of the Match award, with figures of 4/15 and 40*. His performance was pivotal in both restricting UAE and steering the chase through pressure moments. Cricinfo’s MVP also went to Omarzai with 167.71 points, underscoring his dominance.
Looking Ahead
This win awards Afghanistan two crucial points, keeping them alive in Group D. UAE, despite a spirited fight, fell short but showed they can challenge stronger teams. Afghanistan will now aim to build momentum in their remaining matches to secure a Super 8 berth.
