AFG VS UAE T20I

Right then. That's it from the coverage of this game with United Arab Emirates getting a win against Afghanistan 7 years after their first win in 2016. The tone is perfectly set for a cracker of a game in the third and final T20I to be played on Sunday 19th February at the same venue after a short turnaround. The first ball will be bowled at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but you can join us early for the build-up in much earlier. Until then, goodbye and cheers!

Muhammad Waseem is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his stunning knock scoring 91 in 50 balls. He says that he was not able to score runs in the previous game and is happy that he could do that here. Adds that the pitch was slow in the first game and their aim was to take the game deep and cover later which did not work out. Mentions that he wanted to finish this game off quickly to put pressure on Afghanistan ahead of the decider.

Chundangapoyil Rizwan the captain of United Arab Emirates thanks the Almighty for this moment. He says that they needed to get this win as it would build belief in them to go forward and beat the bigger teams more often. Mentions that they were bowling consistently in the last game and they stuck to that in this match but they still want to improve. Credits Muhammad Waseem for doing an amazing job and adds that Vriitya Aravind also played his part in the 100-run partnership as one player has to play the supporting role.

Rashid Khan the skipper of Afghanistan says that the score was below par. Adds that they need to improve their performance in Powerplay while batting. Tells that 160-170 would have been a good total, but credits Muhammad Waseem and says that when you are defending around 130 and if someone scores around 90 it will be a one-sided contest. Mentions that they missed a trick in their bowling as they did not stick to the right lengths. Ends by saying that they need to avoid their mistakes in the next game and expect it to be a good contest.

Time for the presentation...

Vriitya Aravind is up for a chat and he says that it was a great bowling effort to restrict Afghanistan to 138. Adds that Muhammad Waseem made his life easier and he could take his time. Tells that he was not timing the ball at the start, but the time in the middle helped him find his rhythm. Mentions that they took good confidence from the last game and they would like to repeat this performance in the decider as well.

Fareed Ahmad and Rashid Khan were really economical in their spells but with Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Naveen-ul-Haq plundered around the field, their contribution had no effect on the result of the game. Karim Janat claimed the only wicket that fell but all the blame cannot lie with the bowlers. The batters were really poor as well as they put up an under-par score on the board with most of them getting off to decent starts but not capitalizing on it. Najibullah Zadran batted through to the end but his inning never got the required momentum and it was due to some good discipline by the entire United Arab Emirates bowling unit. Zawar Farid and Zahoor Khan claimed two wickets each with Junaid Siddique and Raja Akif chipping in with one each and helped set the platform for this massive moment.

United Arab Emirates started the run chase with positive intent as Muhammad Waseem took 12 runs from the first over bowled by Azmatullah Omarzai. This set the tone for an outstanding Powerplay where they scored 68 runs with no wickets lost and the platform had been set to pull off an unlikely win. Vriitya Aravind struggled initially but his opening partner's hitting form allowed him sufficient time to get settled at the wicket. The opening stand was worth 119 runs and the hosts needed 19 runs in 36 balls when Muhammad Waseem was dismissed on 91 runs of just 50 deliveries. Chundangapoyil Rizwan joined Vriitya Aravind out in the middle with the latter staying unbeaten on 38 and they completed the formality registering a comfortable win.

What have we witnessed here? United Arab Emirates have pulled off a remarkable upset which sees them pick up just their second win over Afghanistan and level the series 1-1. All the credit has to go to Muhammad Waseem who has played a remarkable knock to lead his team to a 9-wicket win with 10 balls to spare and this will really boost the confidence of an upcoming side. The visitors will have to go back to the drawing room and rework their plans as they were poor in all departments of the game and they will want to come back stronger in the next game.

Vriitya Aravind hits the winning runs! Azmatullah Omarzai bowls this back of a length and outside off, Vriitya Aravind punches it through covers for a single. United Arab Emirates win by nine wickets and level the series!

Full and outside off, Vriitya Aravind goes for the drive, but misses it completely.

Angles this one into the batter, short and on leg, Chundangapoyil Rizwan flicks it towards square leg.

SCORES LEVEL! This is tossed up, full and on middle, Vriitya Aravind whips it wide of deep square leg for just a run.

Flatter, full and outside off, Vriitya Aravind goes inside out and loft sit wide of sweeper covers for a brace.

Short again and on middle, Vriitya Aravind makes room, but slaps it towards mid off.

Short and on middle, Chundangapoyil Rizwan pushes it towards long on for a single.

Floated, full and on middle, Chundangapoyil Rizwan knocks it back to the bowler.