Aryansh, Shoaib orchestrate stunning UAE jailbreak

The United Arab Emirates pulled off a nail-biting five-wicket victory over Canada with just two balls to spare at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, keeping alive their hopes of qualifying out of a group that includes New Zealand, South Africa and Afghanistan.

Chasing 151, UAE found themselves in trouble at 66 for 4 in the 13th over. A breathtaking fifth-wicket partnership between Aryansh Sharma (74* off 53) and Sohaib Khan (51 off 29) turned the contest on its head. The pair added 84 runs off just 42 deliveries, transforming what looked like a routine Canadian victory into a crushing defeat.

Aryansh, who batted through the innings, anchored the chase with remarkable composure. His 53-ball knock was laced with six boundaries and three sixes. It was Sohaib Khan's whirlwind 51 off 29 balls, including four fours and four sixes, that truly sealed the deal.

UAE needed 63 from the final five overs. The game turned dramatically in the 17th over when Sohaib took on Dilon Heyliger for two sixes and a four, wiping out 17 runs. He continued his assault in the next over against Jaskaran Singh.

Twenty-six runs were needed off the final two overs, but an 18-run 19th over effectively sealed the game. Sohaib fell with the scores level at 150, but Muhammad Arfan hit the winning runs.

Earlier, Canada's innings was built on a recovery. After being reduced to 38 for 3 inside the PowerPlay, Harsh Thaker (50 off 40) and Navneet Dhaliwal resurrected the innings with a 58-run partnership. Shreyas Movva chipped in with 21, and a final-ball six by Heyliger pushed Canada to 150 for 7.

Junaid Siddique was the architect of Canada's bowling effort, claiming a magnificent five-wicket haul for 35 runs.

Brief scores:
Canada 150/7 in 20 overs (Harsh Thaker 50; Junaid Siddique 5-35) lost to UAE 151/5 in 19.4 overs (Aryansh Sharma 74*, Sohaib Khan 51; Saad Bin Zafar 3-14) by five wickets.