In their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 match against New Zealand, the UAE struggled in the final overs, finishing at 173/6, despite two players scoring fifties. After Aryansh Sharma was out for 8, captain Muhammad Waseem remained not out with 66 runs from 45 balls, including 4 fours and 3 sixes.
However, he couldn’t keep up the momentum in the death overs. Alishan Sharafu contributed 55 runs off 47 balls, with a strike rate of 117.02, hitting 5 fours and 2 sixes.
The pair added 107 runs for the second wicket, but New Zealand’s bowlers managed to control the game. Harshit Kaushik (2 off 6), Mayank Kumar (21 off 13), Sohaib Khan (7 off 3), and Muhammad Arfan (0 off 1) struggled to support Waseem.
For New Zealand, Matt Henry took two wickets, while Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Mitchell Santner, and Glenn Phillips each took one wicket.
New Zealand began the tournament with a victory over Afghanistan, whereas this was the UAE’s first match.
