UAE's fighting spirit in T20 series against Afghanistan points to bright future

A series triumph over a Test-playing nation was always going to be a tough task but the manner in which the UAE took on Afghanistan in the three-match T20 series must fill the national team with hope.

The UAE lost the first game by 72 runs but bounced back to level the series with a 11-run victory in the next game and then pushed the Afghans all the way before losing the decider in Sharjah on Tuesday by a close margin of four wickets, with nine deliveries to spare.

After a forgettable first match in which the visitors posted 203 thanks to a century from Rahmanullah Gurbaz, they regrouped with better plans for the second game.

With the series on the line, captain Muhammad Waseem went on the offensive and hit a sparkling half-century, setting up a solid foundation with opening partner Aryan Lakra, who made a composed unbeaten 63. A total of 166-7 was something the bowlers could work with. Seamers Ali Naseer and Muhammad Jawadullah picked up four wickets each to level the series.

Then in the decider, the UAE had the Afghans cornered for most of the game while defending 127 until Najibullah Zadran (28 off 13) took the game away from the hosts.

UAE v Afghanistan

Fielding has been their biggest concern. It’s an area that the team has worked on tremendously over the past few years but there is still work to be done.

In a bold move, the UAE fielded a young team in a bid to build a squad for the future.

They rewarded three teenagers, Dhruv Parashar, Nilansh Keswani and Tanish Suri, from the team that reached the U19 Asia Cup final and recorded historic victories over Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Aayan Afzal Khan, 18, Ali Naseer, 19, Vriitya Aravind, 21, and Aryan Lakra, 22, are already established players and played key roles in the