The UAE Clinches a Thrilling Victory Over Canada in T20 World Cup
In a dramatic T20 World Cup match on Friday, the United Arab Emirates staged a remarkable comeback led by Aryansh Sharma and Sohaib Khan to secure a thrilling five-wicket win over Canada.
Facing a target of 151 runs, the UAE found themselves struggling at 66-4 in the 13th over. However, Sharma’s unbeaten 74 and Soahib’s 51 partnership of 84 runs rescued the team, guiding them to victory with just two balls remaining in New Delhi.
Sharma played a steady role while Sohaib aggressively attacked the Canadian bowlers, hitting four fours and four sixes, preventing Canada from securing a win and giving the UAE their first victory in Group D after two matches.
Soaib reached his fifty in just 28 balls but was dismissed in the final over, leaving Muhammad Arfan to hit the winning run, sparking celebrations among the UAE team.
The UAE’s pace bowler Junaid Siddique was instrumental in the win, taking figures of 5-35 in his four overs to restrict Canada to 150-7 and earning the player of the match title.
Reflecting on the match, Siddique commented, “In the first innings, we thought they might be aiming for 160 or 170. We bowled very well in the last few overs and knew that 150 was a chaseable total.”
Canada’s spinner Saad Bin Zafar also impressed with figures of 3-14 in his four overs, causing trouble for the UAE top order. However, Sharma and Sohaib’s partnership turned the game around, propelling the UAE to third place in the group, ahead of Afghanistan who are yet to secure a win.
New Zealand and South Africa currently lead the group with two wins each. They are set to face off in Ahmedabad on Saturday, with the victor becoming the first team to secure a spot in the Super Eights stage.