Afghanistan edged past UAE by 5 wickets on Monday, February 16, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, in a nail-biting ICC T20 World Cup Group D match. Azmatullah Omarzai delivered an all-round performance of immense clarity to give Afghanistan their first win of this T20 World Cup, making this victory huge for the team's tournament survival.
Afghanistan restricted UAE to 160/9 in 20 overs after electing to field first. Alishan Sharafu and Sohaib Khan mounted a fightback with an 84-run partnership, with Sharafu scoring 40 and Sohaib the standout performer with 68 off 48 balls, carting the ball for six fours and four sixes. But pacer Omarzai pegged UAE back with timely wickets, finishing with an incredible 4/15.
UAE had Afghanistan on the mat with 52 needed off the last five overs on a pitch that had stayed slow and grippy throughout. Azmatullah Omarzai was adjudged man of the match for his bowling figures of 4/15 and 40* off 21. Omarzai sealed the match with 6, 4, 4 off his final three balls, and Ibrahim Zadran anchored the pursuit with a composed 53 off 41 balls, delivering the heroics Afghanistan desperately needed.
Afghanistan stayed in contention for the Super Eight stage and have climbed to No 3 in Group D, battling with New Zealand and UAE for the final qualification spot. Both Asian outfits are now counting on Canada to beat New Zealand tomorrow to reopen the race for the Super 8s. It's a long road ahead, but Afghanistan stay alive in the group stage—and that's all that matters right now.