Afghanistan Secures First Win in T20 World Cup

Afghanistan claimed their first victory in the T20 World Cup, defeating the United Arab Emirates by five wickets with four balls to spare at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium.

Chasing a target of 161, Afghanistan reached 162 for 5 in 19.2 overs in their third match of the tournament.

Azmatullah Omarzai delivered an outstanding all-round performance. He took 4 wickets for 15 runs in 4 overs and later remained unbeaten on 40 off 21 balls with the bat.

Earlier, Ibrahim Zadran had anchored the chase with 53 runs off 41 balls, including six fours and a six. Darwish Abdul Rasooli added 33 runs off 23 balls.

Afghanistan’s innings got off to a shaky start. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for a duck in the opening over. Gulbadin Naib (13) and Sediqullah Atal (16) made brief contributions, but regular wickets left Afghanistan at 97 for 4 in the 14th over.

After Rasooli’s dismissal at 140/5, Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi (3 not out) guided the team to victory.

Earlier, UAE posted 160 for 9 in their 20 overs. Sohaib Khan led the scoring with 68 off 48 balls, while Alishan Sharafu contributed 40 runs from 31 balls.

Omarzai made a strong impact with the ball, taking 4 wickets at an economy rate of 3.75. Mujeeb Ur Rahman took 2 wickets for 31 runs, and Rashid Khan claimed 1 wicket.