The UAE dished out a spirited show but it blew away against Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz’s firepower as Pakistan’s hot form stayed intact with a 31-run victory in the ongoing T20I Tri-Series 2025 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
With a new match-winner this time around, Pakistan relished its second victory in as many days, serving as a massive boost just 10 days before the Asia Cup. After the coin once again spun in Pakistan’s favour, they opted to bat like they did in their 39-run victory over Afghanistan on Friday.
Ayub, who appeared rustic in his last outing, finally put up a vintage show since his return from injury at the beginning of this year. His explosive 69 (38) and Nawaz’s 56 (26) did the lion’s share of the work for Pakistan. Ayub freed himself from the shackles after a 22-run third over during which he carted Junaid Siddique for two towering sixes and a four.
Once the fielding restrictions were lifted after the power play, he hammered left-arm quick Muhammad Jawadullah for a six and a boundary. He raced to his fifty in 25 balls and eventually finished with 69 from 38 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries and four sixes.
Mohammad Nawaz, with his 25 (15) and Faheem Ashraf’s quick-fire 16 (10), towards the end turned out to be handy cameos that propelled Pakistan to a daunting 207-run total.
In reply, the UAE heavily depended on what skipper Muhammad Waseem could conjure up in the first six overs. He adopted a belligerent start and kept the hopes kindled by swiftly racing to 33(18). However, his time on the crease was cut short after a terrible mix-up towards the end of the powerplay.
UAE’s middle order collapsed, but Asif Khan wasn’t willing to go down without putting up a fight. In a brutal counterattack, he mauled Pakistan’s experienced bowling unit. Pakistan’s spinners and pacers continued to bowl in his arc, and he offered no clemency en route to a rollicking 77(35). However, his knock came to an end at the hands of Hasan Ali and proved insufficient to salvage a win for his side as the UAE fell to a 31-run defeat.
Published – August 31, 2025 04:08 am IST
