Afghanistan wrapped up a convincing 3-0 series whitewash over UAE at ICC Academy, winning the final match of the series in front of another partisan away crowd on Sunday.
Ultimately, it was Afghanistan’s ability to hit boundaries at will at the business end of the innings and UAE’s inability to replicate it in their chase that proved the difference as the tourists inflicted a 44-run defeat on their hosts.
Winning the toss and batting first, Afghanistan were given a flying start thanks to Mohammad Shahzad (44) and Najeeb Tarakai (40).
The pair put on 67 for the first wicket, setting a platform for the tourists’ brutal middle-order to exploit.
And they did just that, Usman Ghani (27), Samiullah Shenwari (39) and Najibullah Zadran (18*) all scoring at well above a run a ball before again laying waste to UAE’s death bowlers as they added 45 in the final four overs.
They finished on 189-5 from their 20 overs, the highest total of the series so far.
UAE, without captain Amjad Javed, bowlers once again suffered beyond opening duo of Mohammad Naveed (1-23) and Ahmed Raza (1-33), even Rohan Mustafa’s 2-27 coming at a rate of 9.00 an over.
When Mohammad Shahzad (1) perished in the second over, it looked like UAE’s leaky bowling was to prove costly but a superb second-wicket partnership between captain for the day Rohan Mustafa and Shaiman Anwar kept them up with the running.
After a series of starts – 38, 45 and 40 against England Lions and then 25 and 43 in this series – Mustafa finally registered a half century, doing so in just 29 balls.
However, he couldn’t make his innings count with a big score, eventually caught and bowled by Mohammad Nabi for 54 from the final ball of the tenth over.
It left UAE 91-1 at the midway stage and still in contention, especially with Shaiman at the crease and having found invaluable form.
But he still needed support from the other end which wasn’t forthcoming, Ghulam Shabber coming and going in swift fashion, bowled for a duck by 18-year-old leggie Rashid Khan three balls later.
It took the wind out of UAE’s sails, Khan expertly restricting the hosts who were grateful for Shaiman being put down at mid-wicket off Karim Janat to keep their hopes alive.
Those hopes were dwindling, though, as UAE were unable to find or clear the ropes, going 36 balls from the first of the 12th over until the final ball of the 17th without a four or six.
Nabi (3-30) and Khan (3-14) were the instigators in UAE’s snail-like progress in the second-half, showing just why the pair are, alongside opener Shahzad, the hottest Associate Nation properties in T20 cricket.
Starved of boundaries, UAE were never going to get close and ended up a distant second by the time they limped through the 20th over on 145-8.
