To lose even a single match to this team was once unthinkable — but Bangladesh have now lost the entire series to the United Arab Emirates, going far beyond the bounds of imagination.”
At one stage, UAE needed 53 runs off the last 5 overs. Rishad Hossain tossed one up and Alishan Sharafu went big. Tanzid Hasan had a chance — the catch was there for the taking — but he couldn’t hold on. The ball popped out and sailed over the ropes. It felt like the match slipped away then and there. Given a second life, Alishan and Asif Khan methodically crushed all of Bangladesh’s hopes with professional precision.
One dropped catch against UAE is now enough to haunt the Tigers — that says everything about the series. “To lose even a single match to this team was once unthinkable — but Bangladesh have now lost the entire series to the United Arab Emirates, going far beyond the bounds of imagination.” Ranked 15th in T20Is, UAE — fielding a young, experimental side — pulled off one of their most memorable series wins.
In the third and final T20I, UAE thrashed Bangladesh by 7 wickets, sealing the series 2-1.
Previously, UAE had only one T20I series win against a Test-playing nation — against Ireland in 2021.
In Sharjah, Bangladesh were in deep trouble at 84/8, a shocking collapse. But two record lower-order stands lifted them to a somewhat respectable 162. Yet that total proved far from enough, as Litton Das’s side failed to mount a real defense. UAE chased it down with 5 balls to spare.
A promising start and a dramatic fall
Bangladesh’s innings began brightly. Facing debutant Akif Raja, Tanzid Hasan cracked a four and a six in the very first over.
But Parvez Hossain Emon, returning after missing the last match, skied the first ball of the second over straight to the boundary fielder — a golden duck for the centurion of the first match.
Captain Litton Das tried to shift momentum, hitting a four and a six off Matiullah Khan. Tanzid added a six of his own in the same over, taking 18 off it.
Then came the turning point. Left-arm spinner Haider Ali came on in the 4th over. His very first ball trapped Litton lbw (10 off 14). Two balls later, Towhid Hridoy danced down the track but missed — lbw again for a duck.
Returning to the XI, Mahedi Hasan also failed at number five (2 off 9). Tanzid briefly kept hope alive with two sixes and a four in one over from Dhruv Parashar.
After the powerplay, Tanzid had 42 off 14 balls — while the rest of the team had just 14 off 22.
But Tanzid’s electric innings ended soon after. Akif Raja switched to round the wicket and bowled him for 40 off 18.
Matiullah then dismissed Shamim Hossain (9 off 12) and Rishad Hossain (0) in the same over. By the 11th over, Bangladesh were tottering at 71/7.
Tanzim Hasan tried to hang in but managed just 6 off 12 before getting caught trying to clear the ropes. It looked like Bangladesh would fold under 100.
Lower-order heroics
But the best was yet to come. Jaker Ali hit a six first ball after Tanzim’s departure, signaling intent. Despite suffering from cramps and needing treatment twice, he fought on and added 44 crucial runs off 26 balls with Hasan Mahmud — a record 9th-wicket stand for Bangladesh in T20Is, surpassing the 33-run partnership between Miraz and Abu Hider against the West Indies in 2018.
Jaker fell for 41 off 34 with the score on 122.
Then came the unexpected fireworks. Hasan and Shoriful added 34 runs off just 12 balls — a Bangladesh record for the 10th wicket in T20Is.
In the final over, UAE captain Muhammad Waseem came on to bowl… and completely lost control. Hasan smashed two sixes, Shoriful added a four, and two no-balls pushed the chaos further. Waseem couldn’t even complete the over — it had to be finished by Alishan Sharafu.
That final over went for 26 runs, with 64 runs coming in the last four overs.
Could Bangladesh defend it?
After such a finish, early wickets were vital. Bangladesh managed to remove Waseem — the star of the previous two games (52 and 82) — cheaply this time. He fell for 9, caught at wide slip off Shoriful.
But UAE’s chase didn’t stutter. Zohaib Khan and Alishan added 44 for the second wicket, with Zohaib hitting consecutive sixes off Hasan Mahmud.
UAE reached 50 in the powerplay.
Rishad broke the stand with his first delivery, bowling Zohaib (29 off 23).
Rahul Chopra struggled for 13 off 13 but held on while Alishan grew in confidence. Asif Khan, quiet initially, soon turned aggressive and took control of the chase.
UAE reached the target in 19.1 overs with 7 wickets in hand.
Match Summary
Bangladesh – 162/9 (20 overs)
- Tanzid 40 (18), Jaker 41 (34), Hasan 26* (15)
- Haider Ali 3/7, Matiullah 2/41
UAE – 166/3 (19.1 overs)
- Alishan 68* (47), Asif 41* (26), Zohaib 29 (23)
- Rishad 1/32, Shoriful 1/24, Tanzim 1/40
Result: UAE won by 7 wickets
Series: UAE win 3-match series 2-1
Player of the Match: Alishan Sharafu
Player of the Series: Muhammad Waseem
