Despite the UAE’s narrow defeat by four runs to Afghanistan in the final match of the Sharjah tri-series, Captain Muhammad Waseem chose to focus on the positives.
In their pursuit of a 171-run target for a morale-boosting victory at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Waseem contributed a swift 44 off 29 balls at the top, while Asif Khan added crucial 40 runs from 28 deliveries, keeping the UAE competitive.
During the last over, Afghanistan’s Fareed Ahmad conceded 12 runs in the first three balls, including a boundary and a six by Asif, who then took two runs.
Fareed tightened up with two dot balls, leaving Asif needing a six off the final ball for a historic win, reminiscent of Javed Miandad’s famous last-ball six in 1986.
However, Fareed caught Asif out in the deep, preventing the UAE from crossing the finish line.
Despite the disappointment, Waseem praised his team’s spirited performance against Afghanistan, just before the Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from September 9-28.
“It was a thrilling match, but luck wasn’t on our side. As I mentioned at the toss, we’re getting close but not quite there. We’ll take the positives from this series and apply them in the Asia Cup, inshallah,” remarked Waseem, originally from Pakistan, after the gripping encounter.
Earlier, Afghanistan’s stand-in captain Ibrahim Zadran and opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz contributed significantly, scoring 48 and 40 respectively, leading to a strong total of 170 for four.
Although Afghanistan rested six players, the UAE bowlers, led by left-arm spinner Haider Ali (4-0-23-2), managed to restrict the opposition to a reasonable score.
“Haider Ali is bowling exceptionally well. He has great experience and I believe he’ll perform even better in the Asia Cup,” Waseem noted.
“We’ll continue to learn, especially in areas like death bowling and fielding.”
Despite losing all four matches to Pakistan and Afghanistan, the UAE is focused on the upcoming Asia Cup, where they face a formidable Indian team on September 10 in Dubai.
