In the first of a three-match T20 series on Thursday, Afghanistan defeated the UAE by five wickets to begin what could be its last series before suspension. Afghanistan reached its goal with five balls left after the home team made 142 for five.
Karim Janat scored the most points with 53, his second T20 International fifty. Two fours and three sixes accounted for three of his 38 runs. From 40 balls, Afsar Zazai struck 48, scoring four boundaries and two sixes. As a result of the Taliban’s oppression of women, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is under increasing pressure to exclude Afghanistan from the sport.
In a controversial move, Australia withdrew from a planned three-match series against the Asian team in January in protest of strict restrictions, including the country’s ban on women participating in sports. At a meeting in March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is scheduled to discuss Afghanistan, the only top nation without a women’s team.
PITCH REPORT
In Twenty20 cricket, the surface at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium is balanced for both batsmen and bowlers. Although batters struggled to score big runs in the previous match, the average score in the first innings is 154.
The UAE batted first on Thursday, and captain Chundangapoyil Rizwan scored the most runs with 48 from 41 deliveries. He hit two sixes and two boundaries in his innings. Rizwan and Muhammad Waseem (33) contributed 75 runs for the second wicket. Rashid Khan, the captain of Afghanistan, took two wickets for 34 runs in his four overs, retiring Waseem and Basil Hameed for ducks in consecutive balls.
On Saturday and Sunday, the remaining two games will also be played in Abu Dhabi.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI
United Arab Emirates
- CP Rizwan(C)
- Waseem Muhammad
- Rohan Mustafa
- Zawar Farid
- Sanchit Sharma
- Basil Hameed
- Vritiya Aravind
- Zahoor Khan
- Junaid Siddique
- Aayan Afzal Khan
- Raja Akifullah Khan
Afghanistan
- Najibullah Zadran
- Ibrahim Zadran
- Hazratullah Zazai
- Karim Janat
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Afsar Zazai
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz
- Rashid Khan(C)
- Naveen-ul-Haq
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
- Mujeeb Ur Rahman