The sixteenth hour of shame has come to an end. Losing one match might be considered a fluke, but Bangladesh were thoroughly outplayed in back-to-back matches by the UAE a team that is still an ICC associate member.
The Bangladesh Tigers only prolonged their downfall by dragging the match a few extra deliveries. In the third and final T20I in Sharjah, the UAE comfortably defeated Bangladesh by 7 wickets with 5 balls to spare, sealing a historic 2-1 series win.
This was the UAE’s first-ever T20I series victory against a Test-playing nation. For Bangladesh, it marked a humiliating debut for Liton Das as full-time captain.
Chasing 163, the UAE lost their skipper Muhammad Waseem early caught at slip by Tanjid Tamim off Shariful Islam after scoring 9 runs from 6 balls. Despite the early setback, the UAE batted confidently during the powerplay, reaching 50 for 1 in 6 overs.
Bangladesh – 162/9
Rishad Hossain finally provided a breakthrough in the eighth over, bowling out Muhammad Jawadullah for 29 off 23 balls. But the momentum quickly shifted back to the UAE.
Alishan Sharafu and Rahul Chopra added 21 runs before Tanjim Shakib removed Chopra (13 off 13) with a slower bouncer, caught by Shamim Patwary.
From there, Alishan took command. He smashed Rishad for a six and brought up his half-century in just 38 balls. Alongside Asif Khan, he guided the UAE to victory with an unbeaten 91-run stand off 52 balls. Alishan remained not out on 68 from 47 balls, while Asif finished with 41 off 26.
Earlier, the United Arab Emirates won the toss and opted to bowl first. Bangladesh’s innings got off to a disastrous start. They collapsed to 71 for 7 and then 84 for 8, raising fears of being bowled out for under 100. However, a late fightback gave the Tigers a respectable total.
Zaker Ali onik formed a crucial 44-run partnership with Hasan Mahmud, steadying the innings. Zaker played an aggressive knock, scoring 41 off 34 balls before getting out. In the final over, Hasan Mahmud and Shariful Islam launched a counterattack against UAE captain Muhammad Waseem, smashing 26 runs.
United Arab Emirates – 166/3
As a result, Bangladesh managed to post a competitive total of 162 for 9. Hasan remained unbeaten on 26 from 15 balls, and Shariful Islam contributed 16 from just 7 deliveries.
Parvez Hossain Emon opened the innings but faced only one ball the first delivery of the second over and was dismissed for a golden duck, caught by Alishan Sharafu off Dhruv Parashar.
Tanjid Tamim and Liton Das then tried to rebuild, but Liton fell for 14 off 10, trapped lbw by Haider Ali. Tanjid fought a lone battle for a while, top-scoring with 40 off just 18 balls.
Towhid Hridoy had a miserable series and was dismissed for a duck in this match as well. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who didn’t play the second match after failing in the first, returned at number five but made only 2 off 9 balls.
Shamim Hossain Patwary couldn’t contribute meaningfully, scoring just 9 off 12. Rishad Hossain, who showed promise with the bat before, got out for a duck after facing 2 balls. Tanzim Shakib tried to clear the ropes but was caught on the boundary for 6 runs off 12 balls.
Zaker Ali’s resistance and the late flourish from Hasan and Shariful added respectability to the total. UAE spinner Haider Ali was exceptional, taking 3 wickets for just 7 runs, while Sagir Khan and Matiullah Khan chipped in with 2 wickets each.