UAE snatch victory. From deep trouble. From fading hope. Sohaib Khan - the accelerator. Aryansh Sharma - the backbone. Composure meets aggression. Canada heartbroken. UAE ecstatic. A reminder etched again - matches are never over until they are. Cricket. Cruel. Magical. Perfect.
Until then, I am Dev Rajawat, signing off, along with my co-commentator Manan Mehta, scorer Bishal Mandal, and statistician Aman. A special thanks to Mohammad Anab for chipping in. That’s it from our side. Thanks for joining. But there is one more match scheduled in the T20 World Cup. Switch tabs, follow the fun. Goodbye from this tab! TAKE CARE! BREATHE AND SMILE! CIAO!
Muhammad Waseem (UAE Captain): "(On keeping the chase calm despite pressure) To be honest, the situation was quite straightforward from our point of view. During the break, I told the boys to trust themselves and continue playing with belief. The way Sohaib and Aryansh handled the moment showed their temperament and ability, and that was very pleasing to see as a captain.
(On his emotions despite missing out personally) Of course, I would have loved to contribute with the bat, but cricket is a team game. What mattered most was that the players who were out there embraced the responsibility. Watching them stay composed in a tense chase made me very happy.
(On areas of improvement going forward) I think the key learning for us is our batting through the middle overs, particularly from around the 7th to the 15th or 16th over. That phase is crucial in T20 cricket, and we know we need to manage it better. It’s something we’ll definitely work on in the upcoming games.
(On maintaining momentum as a batting unit) There were many positives, especially the way the partnerships developed under pressure. If we can sharpen our approach in those middle stages, it will allow us to build stronger finishes and put ourselves in even better positions.
(On Junaid’s five-wicket performance) I’m extremely happy for Junaid. He’s a very experienced bowler and a leader of our attack. Performances like that lift the entire side, and taking five wickets in this format is never easy. It was a match-defining spell.
(On confidence heading into the next matches) Wins like this give the team a lot of confidence. The focus now is to carry this momentum forward, correct the small mistakes, and keep improving as a group. Hopefully, we can continue producing strong performances.”
Dilpreet Bajwa (Canada Captain): "(Short with the bat) Yeah, we were expecting 160-170. Early wickets got us down to 150. We knew something around 160 would be difficult to chase.
(Dew factor) I think the dew factor always helps the chasing side. Though I felt it wouldn't come but it did eventually help them.
(What went wrong with the ball?) I think, when we were getting wickets, we couldn't continue strongly and get more. That was where we lacked and the fast bowlers also lacked execution today.
(Positives from the game) Spinners and our middle order are doing pretty well. However, I think the top order and fast bowlers need to improve."
Junaid Siddique (POTM): "(On the surface) Pitch was good and, you know, we worked with our coaches on how to bowl in these conditions. I came in wanting to hit the hard length areas. I just wanted to try and mix up the slower balls, and that’s it.
Yeah, I was trying to bowl some of the quickest balls and then go for my best slower balls into the wicket, and I got the pace.
(Was 150 an easy chase?) Yeah, in the first innings, we were thinking they might go for 160 or 170. We bowled very well in the last few overs, and 150 was a chaseable total."
Player of the Match: Junaid Siddique
Highest number of runs successfully chased in (17-20) overs in T20 WCs:
57 by New Zealand vs England, Abu Dhabi, 2021 SF
56 by Australia vs Pakistan, Gros Islet, 2010 SF
56 by UAE vs Canada, Delhi, 2026*
54 by India vs Pakistan, Melbourne, 2022
53 by West Indies vs Australia, Mirpur, 2014
52 by Sri Lanka vs India, Gros Islet, 2010
Highest Individual Scores from No. 6 or lower for Associate Nations in T20 WCs:
55 - David Wiese (Namibia) vs UAE - Geelong, 2022
52 - Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) vs Zimbabwe - Nagpur, 2016