T20 WC: Aryansh, Sohaib fifties power UAE to thrilling five-wicket win over Canada
New Delhi, Feb 13 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Riding on Aryansh Sharma’s unbeaten 74 and Sohaib Khan’s blistering 51, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) pulled off a five-wicket win over Canada in their Group D clash of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.
Earlier, on a used pitch, Junaid Siddique’s five-wicket haul restricted Canada to 150/7, setting up a contest that swung dramatically before Aryansh and Sohaib shared a match-defining 84-run stand to seal UAE’s first win of the competition.
UAE slipped to 66/4 in the chase of 151, but Aryansh held firm at one end even as Canada’s spinners tightened their grip through the middle overs. With the required rate climbing, Sohaib’s arrival changed the momentum. He launched four sixes and four boundaries in a blistering counterattack, while adding 84 runs with Aryansh off just 42 balls.
Sharma anchored the chase with measured strokeplay, finishing unbeaten from 53 deliveries, hitting six fours and three sixes. But Sohaib’s aggression rattled Canada’s bowlers in the closing overs and turned the game around for the UAE.
Veteran all-rounder Saad Bin Zafar was the standout for Canada with figures of 3-14, but his efforts were not enough to prevent the UAE’s late surge. The victory underlined the UAE’s batting depth beyond their senior pros, skipper Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu, as Aryansh and Sohaib stepped up to secure the win with two balls to spare.
UAE’s chase began on a false note as Waseem was cramped for room on a pull and top-edged to midwicket off Kaleem Sana. Sharma, however, looked fluent – unfurling a back-foot punch through the covers off Dilon Heyliger and then launching Jaskaran Singh for a six over cow corner, before following it up with two more boundaries in the fifth over.
Alishan Sharafu struggled to find timing at the other end and miscued a lofted drive to extra cover off Zafar. Mayank Kumar joined Sharma, but Zafar struck again in his next over, as he holed out to long-on. Harshit Kaushik briefly lifted hopes with an edged boundary off Bajwa, but he too perished to Zafar’s guile, picking out midwicket.
At 66/4 in 12.3 overs, Canada had seized control. But the chase turned on its head when Sohaib Khan arrived. He announced himself with a six over long-on off Ansh Patel and then combined forces with Sharma for launching a superb counter-attack.
Aryansh brought up his fifty with a towering hit over long-on off Patel, while Sohaib cleared the ropes twice in Heyliger’s 16th over, including a straight strike into the sight screen, apart from a lofted four going over mid-off. Suddenly, the required rate was back within reach for the UAE.
The 18th over saw Sohaib hammer Jaskaran for a four through vacant extra cover region and a six over the long-on fence. By that time, Canada looked rattled, their bowlers missing yorkers and offering width. When Sana returned, the UAE needed 26 off 12 balls. Sharma leaned and pulled twice to get three fours, while Sohaib capitalised on a beamer with a free-hit four, before getting his fifty with a brace through long-on region.
The pair’s audacious strokeplay left UAE within touching distance, with the crowd sensing a finish that had seemed improbable just a few overs earlier. Though Sohaib mistimed a loft to mid-on, after Aryansh pulled Jaskaran for six and did a fist-punch to signal they were closer to crossing the finishing line, Muhammad Arfan got the required single to get a memorable win for UAE over Canada.
Previously, Siddique was the standout bowler for the UAE, claiming his five-wicket haul with disciplined pace variations and having the best bowling figures for an Associate bowler in this edition of the tournament. Muhammad Jawadullah provided him excellent support with an economical spell of 1-16.
UAE’s tight efforts meant Canada lost both openers inside the first four overs and slipped to 39-3 at the end of the Powerplay. Thaker hit two fours and three sixes in a 41-ball fifty, while combining with Navneet Dhaliwal in a 58-run stand for the fourth wicket.
But Dhaliwal’s run out for 34 in the 13th over proved to be a turning point, and despite Thaker getting his fifty, Canada struggled to find boundaries as UAE’s bowlers tightened their lines, as 23 runs came off the last three overs.
Siddique struck in his very first over by having Canada captain Dilpreet Bajwa mistime a drive to mid-off. In his next over, Siddique had Yuvraj Samra lofting tamely to mid-on. Nicholas Kirton joined Dhaliwal, and though the latter unfurled a stylish drive and punch, Canada slipped further when Kirton edged behind off Jawadullah, leaving the side at 39/3 in power-play.
The middle overs saw a revival, as Dhaliwal and Thaker mixed caution with aggression. Thaker broke free with a towering six over long-on and a cut through point off Haider Ali, before taking a boundary each off Muhammad Farooq and Muhammad Arfan respectively. Dhaliwal showcased his timing with straight drives and inside-out strokes over cover off Farooq, as the pair shared a 58-run stand off 47 balls.
Just as Dhaliwal looked set, disaster struck when attempting a quick single in the 13th over; he was run out by a direct hit from short fine leg. Replays showed Dhaliwal’s bat was stuck on the line, and his desperate lunge with the foot falling short, leaving him dejected.
With Dhaliwal gone, Thaker marched forward to complete his half-century off 40 balls. But he fell on the next ball he faced – trying to loft off a slower ball from Siddique, but holed out to cover.
In the final over, Siddique had Shreyas Movva miscuing to mid-off, while forcing Saad Bin Zafar to pull a short ball straight to deep mid-wicket, giving the pacer his fifth wicket of the match, and he bowed down in sajda as the celebration.
Though Dilon Heyliger hit a six on the last ball over deep midwicket to take Canada to 150, UAE eventually completed the chase easily by getting 56 runs in overs 17-20.
Brief scores:
Canada 150/7 in 20 overs (Harsh Thaker 50, Navneet Dhaliwal 34; Junaid Siddique 5-35, Muhammad Jawadullah 1-16) lost to UAE 151/5 in 19.4 overs (Aryansh Sharma 74 not out, Sohaib Khan 51; Saad Bin Zafar 3-14, Kaleem Sana 1-29) by five wickets
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