In a contest that underlined the grit and depth in their lineup, the United Arab Emirates pulled off an impressive five-wicket win over Canada at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Chasing 151, the UAE found themselves in trouble at 66 for 4 before Aryansh Sharma and Sohaib Khan; both Indian origin players, stepped up when it mattered most. The pair stitched together a crucial 84-run partnership on familiar ground, turning the game firmly in their team’s favour.
Opting to bat first, Canada struggled against the swing and precision of Junaid Siddique.
Early strike: Junaid removed Canada skipper Dilpreet Bajwa and Yuvraj Samra inside the Powerplay, leaving the Canadians reeling at 19/2.
Repair job: Harsh Thaker (50 off 41) and Navneet Dhaliwal (34) stitched together a gritty 58-run partnership to stabilize the innings.
Death over: Junaid returned at the death to dismiss a set Thaker and Shreyas Movva, completing his five-for and restricting Canada to 150/7, what seemed like a total that's 20 runs short of par.
The UAE's chase began disastrously. Captain Muhammad Waseem fell for just 4, and Canada’s veteran spinner Saad Bin Zafar (3/14) throttled the middle order. At 66/4 in the 13th over, the required rate had skyrocketed to nearly 12 an over.
Aryansh’s innings: 21-year-old Aryansh Sharma, who moved from Delhi to the UAE as a toddler, played the anchor role to perfection, finishing on an unbeaten 74 (53)*.
Sohaib Khan, a late bloomer who once studied at Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia, turned the game on its head. In his first major World Cup appearance, he smashed 51 off 29 balls (4x4, 4x6), including a 17-run assault on Dilon Heyliger.
Last-over drama: With 8 needed off the final over, Aryansh launched a towering six before Muhammad Arfan scrambled the winning run with two balls to spare.
This win belongs to a trio of players who found their cricketing destiny far from home. Junaid moved to the Gulf in 2014 to support his family; Sohaib was a financial consultant in Dubai who honed his skills at night; and Aryansh is a product of the UAE’s burgeoning youth system. Together, they have propelled the UAE to third in Group D.
Aryansh was so confident... his positivity was coming to me. We were requiring only 12 runs per over. As MS Dhoni would say, just back your technique and be calm.
Sohaib Khan, UAE Batter
