Published: February 13, 2026 at 7:55 pm
Friday turned out to be good day for UAE as their cricket teams did the nation proud. The UAE women stunned India A in the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament in Bangkok and then the men registered their first win in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a thrilling comeback win against Canada.
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Chasing a target of 151, UAE clawed back from 66/4 in 12.3 overs to push across the finish line with five wickets and two balls to spare at the Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi. Aryansh Sharma (74 not out) and Sohaib Khan (51) were the ones who brought UAE back from the brink with a 84-run partnership in just 43 balls.
After a slow start, Sharma made sure UAE ended powerplay on a positive note, scoring 17 runs in the sixth over to push his team to 39 for one. He stood tall amidst the chaos, chipping away at the Canadian total to keep his team in the running. He struck six fours and three sixes on the way to the highest score by a UAE player in the T20 World Cup.
However, it was Sohaib Khan’s 51 off 29 balls that galvanized the team. With four fours and four sixes, he took the attack to the Canadian bowlers just when they were starting to tighten the screws. UAE scored 56 runs in the last four overs to storm to the finish line. Saad Bin Zafar was the pick of the Canadian bowlers, snapping 3/14 in his four overs.
Aryansh Sharma stood tall amidst the chaos, chipping away at the Canadian total to keep his team in the running. He struck six fours and three sixes on the way to the highest score by a UAE player in the T20 World Cup
“To be honest, the situation was simple. I went inside during the break and told them to keep believing in themselves. They showed the world their ability, and the way they played makes me very happy for them. I think we have to improve our batting in the middle overs, specifically from the 7th to the 16th over. We need to look after that phase. Inshallah, we will work on that for the upcoming games because that is one part of the match where we need to improve,” said UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem.
On Junaid’s superb show, he said: “I’m very happy for him. He is a very experienced bowler and the leader of our bowling attack. He took five wickets today, and I think he will keep that momentum going in the upcoming games.”
UAE pacer Junaid pushes Canada on the backfoot
Earlier in the day, Canada laboured to 150 for seven after electing to bat. UAE pacer Junaid Siddique pushed Canada on the back foot right away, dismissing openers Bajwa and Samra. Muhammad Jawadullah made the perfect start as he claimed the wicket of Nicholas Kirton on the very first ball of his spell as Canada ended powerplay at 39 for 3.
Navneet Dhaliwal and Harsh Thaker steadied the innings with a 58-run partnership. Thaker was the one that held down the fort for Canada, scoring 51 off 40 balls, with the help of three sixes and two fours. Dhaliwal contributed with 34 while Shreyas Movva chipped in with 21.
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Siddique was the pick of the UAE bowlers, claiming 5 for 35, a first fifer for a UAE bowler in the T20 World Cup. “The pitch was good. We worked with our coaches on how to bowl in these conditions. I wanted to hit the hard lengths and try to mix things up with slower balls. I was trying to bowl some quicker balls and then go for my best slower balls into the wicket. In the first innings, we thought they might be going for 160 or 170. We bowled very well in the last few overs and knew that 150 was a chaseable total,” Siddique, who was named Player of the Match said.
“We were expecting 160 or 170, but since we lost early wickets, we were happy with 150. We knew it would be a hard total to chase in the second innings, but Sohaib and Aryansh played very well. I think the dew factor always helps the chase. We didn’t expect it to come into play here, but it helped them as the ball didn’t spin as much,” said Canada skipper Dilpreet Bajwa.
On where they fell behind, he said: “When we were taking wickets, we didn’t manage to keep the momentum going. That is where we lacked. Our fast bowlers didn’t stick to their plans, and that cost us the game. Our spinners and middle order are doing very well. We are just expecting our top order to get some runs and our fast bowlers to find their lines again.”
Brief scores: Canada 150 for seven in 20 overs (Navneet Dhaliwal 34, Harsh Thaker 50, Shreyas Movva 21; Junaid Siddique 5/35) lost to UAE 151 for five in 19.4 overs (Aryansh Sharma 74 not out, Sohaib Khan 51; Saad Bin Zafar 3/14).
