In a high-stakes encounter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Afghanistan secured their first victory of the 2026 T20 World Cup, defeating the UAE by five wickets. While the win keeps Rashid Khan’s men technically alive in the competition, its immediate impact was felt thousands of miles away as South Africa officially became the third team to qualify for the Super 8s.
Afghanistan’s chase of 161 began in nightmare fashion when star opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell for a duck. However, the game was ultimately decided by the sheer brilliance of Omarzai.
Ball: Omarzai was the pick of the bowlers, using hard lengths to dismantle the UAE middle order, finishing with career-best figures of 4/15.
Bat: With the game hanging in the balance at 100/4, Omarzai walked in and smashed an unbeaten 40 off 21 balls (including 3 sixes). He sealed the victory with a calm boundary over cover with four balls to spare.
Milestone: Omarzai is now only the third player in history to record a 30+ score and a 4-wicket haul in a Men’s T20 World Cup match, joining Dwayne Bravo and Shakib Al Hasan.
The UAE, now officially eliminated from the tournament, did not go down without a fight.
After losing early wickets, Alishan Sharafu (40) and Sohaib Khan (68) stitched together a partnership that threatened to take the total past 180.
Afghanistan’s veterans, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, applied the squeeze in the final ten overs, restricting the UAE to a modest 160-9.
Junaid Siddique (2/18) and Muhammad Arfan gave the Afghan batters plenty of trouble, briefly scenting an upset when they dismissed the set Ibrahim Zadran (53).
| Category | UAE | Afghanistan |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 160/9 (20.0) | 161/5 (19.2) |
| Top Batter | Sohaib Khan (68 off 48) | Ibrahim Zadran (53 off 41) |
| Top Bowler | Junaid Siddique (2/18) | Azmatullah Omarzai (4/15) |
| Finishing Act | — | Omarzai (40 off 21)* |
| Result | Eliminated | Won by 5 Wickets |
With UAE’s loss, the doors have closed for several teams in Group D. South Africa joins the West Indies and India as the early confirmed participants for the next round.
Happy to finish up with the win... we have got quite good experience with Nabi and Omarzai. We still have a little bit of hope for the next stage.Rashid Khan, Afghanistan Captain