T20 World Cup: Five-stars Junaid Siddique, Aryansh Sharma lead UAE to maiden win | Cricket News
New Delhi: Technical Support Junaid SiddiqAn 84-run partnership between United Arab Emirates (UAE) pipers Aryansh Sharma (74 not out) and Sohaib Khan (51) opened the ongoing T20 World Cup with a six-wicket win over Canada at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.The score was 66/4 and the dugout where the UAE players were sitting was silent. Harshit Kaushik is the latest batsman to return to the pavilion.
Opener Aryansh Sharma has started well and has amassed 44 runs so far, standing tall at one end.What once seemed like an easy 151 chase suddenly felt like it had slipped from their hands.Then there is Sohaib Khan. All the UAE needs in this chase is a man to team up with the Aryansh. Sohaib provided that impetus. Facing Dilon Heyliger, he hit 17 on the 17th and added 13 on the 18th.The equation is simple: to win the game and get the first point on the table, they need 26 out of 12 balls.Watching his partner dominate the bowlers, Aryansh also joined the team to take the match closer to victory by 18 runs. No. 19 scored six runs on the first ball and Canada’s dream of opening an account in the tournament was dashed. Sohab fell behind Jaskarandip Singh on the scoreboard, but that was nothing more than a consolation.Earlier, UAE’s right-arm pace spearhead Junaid Siddique blasted through Canada’s batting with a tentative pace and bounce that was enough to keep the batsmen honest. Canada never found a consistent rhythm at any stage.By the time drinks were served for the second time at the end of Game 14, Canada’s four-man team had just reached 100 points – a recovery after a painful start.Canada’s decision to bat first after winning the toss seemed questionable as their three-point shooting percentage dropped to 39 on the power play. Timing the ball is difficult. Hitting boundaries was rare, as evidenced by the first six overs, which saw the Canadian Willows have just four fours and no sixes.In fact, only four sixes were hit in the entire innings, three of which were hit by Harsh Seker.The 28-year-old Seck is one of the top names in the middle-order renaissance. First alongside Navneet Dhaliwal (34) and later alongside Shreyas Movva (21), Thaker dragged Canada out of danger and put them in fighting shape.Dhaliwal’s dismissal, meanwhile, is an unfortunate yet interesting occurrence. The direct hit from the wicketkeeper’s end caught him off guard and his bat got stuck on the ground just outside the crease line while his right foot was still in the air.The verdict went against him, with the four scoring 96 points.However, the final six games belonged to Siddiq. As wickets fell in clusters, the momentum of the counterattack gradually waned.Thaker (50), Movva and Saad Bin Zafar (5) all lost to Siddique, who had dismissed Yuvraj Samra (5) and Dilpreet Bajwa (11) earlier in the innings.Siddique’s 5/35 spell peaked in the second five-wicket haul of the 2026 T20 World Cup tournament as his fast pace and awkward bounce skills forced mishits with all the victims trapped on the pitch.Brief rating: Canada 150/7 in 20 overs (Harsh Thaker 50, Navneet Dhaliwal 34; Junaid Siddique 5/35, Muhammad Jawadullah 1/16)United Arab Emirates 151/5 in 19.4 overs (Aryansh Sharma 74 not out, Sohaib Khan 51; Saad Bin Zafar 3/14)UAE win by five wickets
