KUUMAR SHYAM (NEW DELHI)
The UAE came close to registering a vital second win in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup group stage that would have kept their tournament alive, but instead bowed out after coming up short against Afghanistan by five wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Monday.
For the UAE, the one positive was that Sohaib Khan (68 from 48 balls) proved to be the anchor again after the early departures of captain Muhammad Waseem (10) and Aryansh Sharma (0).
An 84-run partnership with Alishan Sharafu (40 from 31 balls) was the backbone of a 161-run target they set after Afghanistan won the toss.
"They [Khan and Sharma] have been a great positive for us," said Waseem later. "Sohaib [who was promoted two spots up to No.4 after the victory against Canada] is very calm and has handled pressure well in both games. Hopefully, against South Africa, a couple of more players will put their hand up."
Azmatullah Omarzai was the hero for Afghanistan, taking 4-15 in the UAE's 160-9 and scoring an unbeaten 40.
Afghanistan finished on 162-5 with four balls to spare to keep alive their slim chances of advancing to the next stage.
Captain Waseem admitted that the UAE bowlers could have done better to defend their total.
"We win as a team; we lose as a team. I won't take names, but we conceded 10-15 runs more than we [should have]," he said.
The result means South Africa have already qualified for the Super Eights on Monday without playing their final Group D match against 4th-placed UAE on Wednesday.
Second-placed New Zealand can seal their spot and eliminate Afghanistan, in third, with a win against bottom side Canada on Tuesday in Chennai.
In the unlikely event of an upset by Canada, Afghanistan will need a big win in their last group match against Canada on Thursday.