Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

Muhammad Waseem
Muhammad Waseem
67(37) 4x4 - 6x6
Control %62%
  • Productive Shot
  • flick
  • 17 runs
  • 1x4 - 1x6
1 6 9 15 1 10 7 18
Ibrahim Zadran
Ibrahim Zadran
63(40) 3x4 - 4x6
Control %82%
  • Productive Shot
  • flick
  • 16 runs
  • 1x4 - 1x6
0 8 6 12 7 0 3 27

Best performances - Bowlers

Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan
O4
M0
R21
W3
Eco5.25
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
Sharafuddin Ashraf
Sharafuddin Ashraf
O4
M0
R24
W3
Eco6
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
1W

Match Details

Toss

United Arab Emirates , elected to field first

Player Of The Match

Match number

Season

Hours of play (local time)

start 19.00, First Session 19.00-20.30, Interval 20.30-20.50, Second Session 20.50-21.20

Match days

01 September 2025 - night match (20-over match)

T20I debut

TV Umpires

Reserve Umpire

Match Referee

Points

Afghanistan 2, United Arab Emirates 0

Scorer: Chandan Duorah | Commentator: Shashwat Kumar

END OF OVER:
20 | 17 Runs | UAE: 150/8 (39 runs required, RR: 7.50)

  • Rahul Chopra52 (35b)
  • Junaid Siddique1 (5b)
  • Azmatullah Omarzai3-0-36-0
  • Fazalhaq Farooqi3-0-24-1

10:54pm That will be all from us for today. We will be back tomorrow as Afghanistan take on Pakistan. Until then, from Chandan and myself (Shashwat), this is goodbye!

Sharafuddin Ashraf, Player of the Match: Thanks to all the people who came to support us in a difficult time. We have a very good spin department, good magicians. The way Rashid trusted me on my ability, the way I can participate for the team, for that, we do whatever is needed by the team. (Most comfortable bowling phase) Depends on the situation. I try always to read the situation and what I am getting from the wicket and what the batter is trying to do. I have a lot of experience (of bowling in the powerplay), so trying to use it. If you look at spin bowling, Nabi is still bowling and changing his pace very well. In T20 cricket, you have to believe in your ability to create some magic on the field. The most important (thing) is self-belief. (On if this is his first POTM award) I had got one on my debut as well. Great occasion for me - thanks to Rashid Khan for supporting me in a difficult time. He trusted my ability and saw my hard work throughout the years, and not something I got just because of one day, and there was a lot of hard work behind it.

Rashid Khan, Afghanistan captain: (On how he chooses his spinners) That is a tough question. It is always very hard. You have to keep two main spinners. You cannot have 3-4 spinners. Noor and Ghazanfar were on the bench, two magicians. You have to see who can deliver. You have to go with two spinners, which is me and Mujeeb. Sharaf was a tough decision (over Noor and Ghazanfar) - the batting ability he has, we wanted to have him. (On bowling plans) To keep things simple - that is something which is important for me. The length is very important. The right length is the key and if you keep bowling there, you will get the right results. Batters might hit it for boundaries, but you need to have in your mind that if you hit it, you will get the right results. I don't care if you bowl leg spin or wrong ones, you have to hit the right lengths. (On taking time at the start with the bat) That is the plus point. The batting department, they are taking responsibility. They went through the tough time and did not give away wickets. I felt so happy with that - the mindset of Ibrahim and Sediq. Later on, Azmat, Darwish and Karim, they finished well. That is an area where we struggled in the past and that is something we are working hard on. (On if they feel better-prepared to take on Pakistan tomorrow) Definitely. Win gives you that positive energy. But we are always well-prepared. Such games that you have with such big teams, it takes time to adjust yourselves. That (last game against Pakistan) was kind of a wake-up call for us. Bring your best game, and then see who wins. We cannot bring our low game (against a team like Pakistan).

Muhammad Waseem, UAE captain: We did not bowl well in the last ten overs, gave away so many runs. We were going well after 8-9 overs (in the chase). We surely lose the game (after that), losing two wickets - myself and Asif Khan. (On his hitting) Not happy to be honest with my work because I could not finish the game. We will learn from today as well. Always we are giving runs in the last ten overs. Today as well, we will take the positives and then look at where we are giving away boundaries and hopefully work on it.

10:33pm A comfortable win for Afghanistan and once Waseem was dismissed, the result never really seemed in doubt. Rashid did what Rashid usually does through the middle overs, keeping a lid on the run-scoring and picking up crucial wickets. Ashraf was not shabby either, accounting for Waseem and bagging two other scalps to truly throw the UAE run-chase into disarray.

There were positives for the UAE, namely the pyrotechnics of their skipper and the late-overs hitting of Chopra. But in between, they did not have enough substance, with them ultimately falling 38 runs short.

19.6
6
Azmatullah Omarzai to Chopra, SIX, Chopra gets to his fifty, but Afghanistan get the two points that puts them on the board! Half-tracker on middle and off. Chopra winds up and whacks it over deep square leg. A bittersweet feeling for him personally, reaching his fourth T20I fifty, but his team falling well short of what Afghanistan put up in their first innings!

Chopra on 46. Can he get to fifty? That is probably the only sub-plot remaining in this game

19.5
2
Azmatullah Omarzai to Chopra, 2 runs, skied, but it lands into safety! Back of a length on middle and leg. Chopra has an ungainly swipe at it and miscues it, with the ball pitching in the vacant mid wicket region
19.4
0
Azmatullah Omarzai to Chopra, no run, full toss on middle and leg. Chopra could have hit this anywhere but is taken aback by the pace. Off the toe-end (or even the back of the bat) and into the off side
19.4
1w
Azmatullah Omarzai to Chopra, 1 wide, slower ball but the radar goes missing on this one. Way outside off and called a wide as Chopra lets it go
19.3
4
Azmatullah Omarzai to Chopra, FOUR, nicely done! Length ball hung up wide outside off. Chopra pre-empts the line, walks across and scoops it cleanly over short fine leg!
19.2
4
Azmatullah Omarzai to Chopra, FOUR, connects this time, and gets four! Off-pace and into the track on leg stump. Not as much purchase on this occasion and Chopra swats it behind square!

U.A.E. 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st15Muhammad WaseemMuhammad Zohaib
2nd61Muhammad WaseemEC D'Souza
3rd14Muhammad WaseemR Chopra
4th1Asif KhanR Chopra
5th16R ChopraH Kaushik
6th4D ParasharR Chopra
7th1R ChopraSaghir Khan
8th10Haider AliR Chopra
9th28Junaid SiddiqueR Chopra