SHARJAH: Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz struck half-centuries as Pakistan thumped the United Arab Emirates by 31 runs in Sharjah on Saturday, making it two wins from two in their T20 tri-series also featuring Afghanistan.
Opener Saim smashed a 38-ball 69, with four sixes and seven fours, while Hasan’s 26-ball 56 included six maximums, lifting Pakistan to 207 all out in exactly 20 overs.
Asif Khan threatened to snatch an unlikely win for UAE with a brilliant 35-ball 77 before falling in the last over.
The UAE managed 176-8 from their 20 overs.
Skipper Muhammad Waseem also hit a breezy 18-ball 33 but was run out in the sixth over.
Earlier, Pakistan’s innings was built around the excellence of Saim and Hasan after they won the toss and batted first.
Once Pakistan lost Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman and skipper Salman Agha cheaply, it was left to Saim and Hasan to provide the rescue acts.
Saim’s fourth T20I half-century came off just 25 balls while Hasan’s fifty was reached in 24 deliveries with a hat-trick of sixes off spinner Haider Ali.
Hasan added 57 for the fifth wicket off just 25 balls with Mohammad Nawaz, who added a 15-ball 25.
Faheem Ashraf chipped in with 16 as Pakistan clubbed 64 in the last five overs.
Junaid Siddique and Saghir Khan grabbed three wickets apiece, but were both expensive.
Pakistan skipper Salman saidhe wanted death bowling to improve.
“It was a perfect batting game. First 15 overs with the bowling we were good, but the last five overs we need to work on. It’s something we have been working on but yeah we need to get better,” he said.
“I think our death bowling is something we are working on and it’s concerning. We need to be better in the next game, but overall we have been playing really well and this is how we want to continue playing.”
Afghanistan, who lost to Pakistan by 39 runs on Friday, face the UAE in the next match on Monday.
SCOREBOARD
PAKISTAN:
Sahibzada Farhan b Junaid8
Saim Ayub c Chopra b Saghir69
Fakhar Zaman b Haider6
Salman Ali Agha c Chopra b Saghir5
Hasan Nawaz c Chopra b Haider56
M. Nawaz c D’Souza b Saghir25
M. Haris c Jawadullah b Junaid1
Faheem Ashraf run out16
Hasan Ali c Zohaib b Junaid9
Salman Mirza run out3
Sufiyan Muqeem not out0
EXTRAS (LB-4, W-5)9
TOTAL (all out, 20 overs)207
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-9 (Sahibzada), 2-38 (Fakhar), 3-74 (Salman), 4-104 (Saim), 5-161 (Hasan Nawaz), 6-169 (Haris), 7-177 (Nawaz), 8-203 (Hasan Ali), 9-205 (Faheem), 10-207 (Salman Mirza).
BOWLING: Junaid 4-0-49-3 (2w), Parashar 4-0-34-0, Haider 4-0-32-2, Jawadullah 4-0-44-0, Saghir 4-0-44-3 (3w).
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES:
M. Zohaib c Hasan Nawaz b Nawaz13
Mohammad Waseem run out33
E. D’Souza c Haris b Hasan Ali3
A. Sharafu c Sahibzada b Saim3
R. Chopra c Sufiyan b Nawaz11
Asif Khan c Sahibzada b Hasan Ali77
D. Parashar c Haris b Salman Mirza15
Saghir Khan c Nawaz b Hasan Ali11
Haider Ali not out1
Junaid Siddique not out0
EXTRAS (W-9)9
TOTAL (for eight wickets, 20 overs)176
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-39 (Zohaib), 2-54 (Waseem), 3-54 (D’Souza), 4-68 (Sharafu), 5-76 (Chopra), 6-130 (Parashar), 7-175 (Asif), 8-176 (Saghir)
BOWLING: Salman Mirza 4-0-43-1 (3w), Hasan Ali 4-0-47-3, Nawaz 4-0-21-2, Saim 2-0-6-1, Faheem 2-0-15-0 (1w), Sufiyan 4-0-44-0 (1w)
RESULT: Pakistan won by 31 runs.
Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2025
