Azmatullah Omarzai sent the UAE towards the T20 World Cup exit with a sparkling all-round display in Delhi.
The 25-year-old Afghan took four wickets to help restrict the national team to 160 for nine at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
He later played the ideal cameo with the bat to drag the Afghans through a nervy finish to the game. His 40 not out, from 21 balls, included hitting the final two balls of the penultimate over for six and a four to settle any nerves for his side.
To add the gloss, he then hit the winning runs himself off the second ball of the final over, as Afghanistan clinched a five-wicket win.
The UAE sit fourth in Group D with just one game to play - against section leaders South Africa on Wednesday.
Sohaib Khan continued his uplifting emergence with a second successive half century. No UAE player has enjoyed the arrival in Delhi as much as the player who once called the city home, when he was a university student here.
He announced himself to the world with the quick-fire 51 which swung the previous group match, against Canada, in the UAE’s favour. He picked up where he left off, having been promoted to No 4 against Afghanistan.
On winning the toss, the Afghans opted to have a bowl in order to make the most of the 11am start. They were right to: the first couple of overs offered assistance to the bowlers, and the UAE were soon 13 for two after two overs, with both in-form Aryansh Sharma and captain Muhammad Waseem gone.
Despite the precarious situation, Sohaib looked entirely assured. Emboldened by what he did against Canada, he took the attack to the Afghans.
Between him and Alishan Sharafu, who made 40, the UAE added 84 in nine overs for the third wicket.
When Sharafu went, Sohaib was afforded little support. His fluency slowed as he focused on dragging the team through to 20 overs. His final effort of 68 in 48 balls was the centrepiece of the eventual tally of 160 for nine.
In an enviable attack that includes IPL stars like Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Omarzai was the pick of the Afghan bowlers. He took four for 15 from his four overs.
Sohaib could not be kept out of the game. The second ball of Afghanistan’s reply found him grazing out at third man, and he took the catch off Junaid Siddique which dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck.
Excitement over that start was dulled by Ibrahim Zadran and Gulbadin Naib, who put on 40 for the second wicket before the latter was dismissed just before the end of the Powerplay.
Although Zadran proceeded to a half century, the national team kept the scoring rate in check well enough to believe they were in the game.
Mohammed Arfan took two wickets. Mohammed Jawadullah splayed Zediqullah Atal’s stumps. And when Siddique did similar to Darwish Rasooli, the Afghans were left needing 21 in two and a half overs with five wickets left.
With Omarzai joined at the wicket by the experienced Mohammed Nabi, though, it felt as though the game was still just out of the UAE’s reach. And so it proved, as Omarzai struck decisively.
