UAE thrash Bangladesh in 3rd T20 to seal historical series

United Arab Emirates created a history by securing the three-match T20 International against Bangladesh after thrashing the visitors by seven wickets in the series deciding third game at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

Bangladesh recovered from the early collapse to post 162-9 but that was not enough to stop the UAE juggernaut. Their batters came up with unwavering resolve to gun down the target in emphatic fashion, reaching 166-3 in 19.1 overs, reports BSS.

Bangladesh won the first game by 27 runs before losing the second one by two wickets.

Skipper Muhammad Waseem failed with the bat for the first time in the series after scoring 54 and a match-winning 82 in the previous two matches but UAE found hero in Alishan Sharafu who led the charge with 47 ball-68 not out, clobbering five fours and three sixes.

Sharafu fittingly confirmed the victory by drilling Hasan Mahmud past cover for a boundary.

Asif Khan played a second fiddle to him with 26 ball-41 not out, an innings studded by five sixes.

Sharafu and Asif added 82-run for the unbeaten fourth wicket to help the side with the match with incredible.

Pacer Shoriful Islam removed dangerman Waseem for nine in the third over as Bangladesh sensed a chance to make the modest total to a winning one.

Sharafu and opener Muhammad Zohaib steadied the ship with 44-run partnership before Rishad Hossain bowled the latter for 29.

Tanzim Hasan Sakib removed Rahul Chopra for 13 as Bangladesh looked to claw into the back. But that didn’t happen as Sharaful and Asif played with caution and aggression to make UAE’s day.

Earlier, Jaker Ali Anik made team-high 34 bll-41 with one four and three sixes and was instrumental in taking Bangladesh past 150-run mark, that looked unlikely after a top order collapse.

Put into bat first, Bangladesh collapsed around a blistering batting show of opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim, who made a swashbuckling 18 ball-40, an innings laced with four fours and as many sixes.

His audacious batting resisted more misery as the wickets tumbling at regular intervals.

Parvez Hossain Emon, the centurion of the first match, was handed a first ball duck as Dhruv Parashar gave UAE an excellent start.

Left-arm spinner Haider Ali then broke the spine of Bangladesh’s batting line up, taking three wickets in quick succession to end with an envious figure of 4-1-7-3. He firstly dealt double strike, removing skipper Liton Das for 14 and Towhid Hridoy for duck. Two overs later he also got rid of Mahdei Hasan for 2 before Akif Raja ended Tanzid’s pyrotechnique as Bangladesh slumped to 57-5 in seventh over.

But the agony didn’t end there. Saghir Khan and Matiullah Khan then appeared in the stage to further torment Bangladesh.

However, Jaker Ali held the one end firmly before being ninth batter out by Saghir Khan.

Both Matiullah and Saghir scalped tow wickets apiece.

Hasan Mahmud then played a cameo—a 15 ball-26 runs not out with three sixes to help the side propel past 150-run mark.

He got ably support from Shoriful Islam as the duo took 26 runs in the last over to make the score look modest. Shoriful who hit one four and a six was unbeaten on 13 off six.