Fakhar Zaman and Abrar Ahmed shine as Pakistan beat UAE to enter T20 Tri-Series final

Pakistan into the T20l final after 31-run win over UAE

Pakistan sealed their place in the T20I tri-series final with a 31-run victory over the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, Fakhar Zaman’s brilliant batting performance and Abrar Ahmed’s career-best bowling.

Zaman hit an unbeaten 77 off just 44 balls, his 12th T20I fifty, while Mohammad Nawaz added a quickfire 37 not out off 27 balls.The pair rescued Pakistan from a shaky 80-5 and lifted the total to 171-5 in 20 overs.

UAE could only manage 140-7 in reply. Spinner Abrar Ahmed’s best performance of 4-9 in four overs stopped the chase, even though opener Alishan Sharafu fought hard to get 68 runs off 51 balls, including four sixes and four fours.

This was Pakistan’s third win in four games, securing their spot in Sunday’s final against Afghanistan, who had already qualified. UAE, meanwhile, slumped to their straight defeat, with captain Muhammad Waseem (19) and Asif Khan (7) falling cheaply.

Earlier in the year, Abrar’s best figures had been 3-19 against Bangladesh in Lahore, but he bettered that mark with a match-winning spell here.

Batting first after winning the toss, Pakistan’s top order struggled. Openers Saim Ayub (11) and Sahibzada Farhan (16) failed to convert starts, while captain Salman Ali Agha (7), Mohammad Haris (14), and Hasan Nawaz (4) also departed quickly.

Zaman and Nawaz then rebuilt the innings with a superb 91-run stand for the sixth wicket off just 51 balls. It was Zaman’s first half-century in 14 innings since scoring one against Ireland in Dublin last May. His knock included 10 fours and 2 sixes, while Nawaz smashed three fours and two sixes.

The duo launched a furious late assault, plundering 74 runs from the last five overs, including 42 in the final two. Nawaz hammered three fours and a six in Junaid Siddique’s penultimate over, before Zaman struck five consecutive boundaries off Muhammad Jawadullah’s last over.

For the UAE, leg-spinner Haider Ali was the standout bowler with figures of 2-17.