Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Feb 16: Afghanistan registered their first win of the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup with a hard-fought five-wicket victory over the United Arab Emirates national cricket team at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday, keeping their slim chances of reaching the Super Eights intact.

Chasing 161, Afghanistan rode on a composed 53 off 41 balls from Ibrahim Zadran and a blistering unbeaten 40 off just 21 deliveries from Azmatullah Omarzai to seal the target with four balls remaining.

The run chase began on a shaky note as Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell for a duck, while Gulbadin Naib and Sediqullah Atal also departed before the halfway stage. Zadran steadied the innings with a fluent knock that included five boundaries and a six, anchoring the chase even as wickets fell around him.

However, his dismissal revived UAE’s hopes. With 61 required off the last six overs, Omarzai took charge. Having already starred with the ball by claiming 4-15 in the first innings, he produced a decisive cameo featuring two fours and three sixes to guide Afghanistan home. He fittingly finished the contest with a lofted drive over cover.

For UAE, Muhammad Arfan impressed with a disciplined spell that yielded two wickets and momentarily tightened the contest. Earlier, Sohaib Khan’s 68 and Alishan Sharafu’s 40 had powered UAE to 160/9 in their 20 overs, but a middle-order slowdown prevented them from posting a more imposing total. Mujeeb Ur Rahman provided key support for Afghanistan with two wickets.

The outcome also confirmed South Africa national cricket team’s progression to the Super Eights, joining India national cricket team and West Indies cricket team, who had already secured qualification.

Brief Scores: UAE 160/9 in 20 overs (Sohaib Khan 68, Alishan Sharafu 40; Azmatullah Omarzai 4-15, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2-31) lost to Afghanistan 162/5 in 19.2 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 53, Azmatullah Omarzai 40*; Junaid Siddique 2-23, Muhammad Arfan 2-30) by five wickets.