UAE batter Sohaib Khan, who hails from Gaya in Bihar, smashed his maiden T20I fifty in stunning five-wicket win over Canada in T20 World Cup 2026.
Updated: February 13, 2026 6:54 PM IST
India.com at T20 World Cup 2026: He was batting in blue colours of UAE but he may well have been ‘bleeding blue’. We are talking about UAE batter Sohaib Khan, who turned their Group D match against Canada at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Friday on its head. Sohaib, who hails from Gaya in Bihar, smashed a brilliant 28-ball half-century peppered with four sixes and four fours to help UAE hunt down 56 runs in the last four over.
Sohaib Khan’s blitz and Aryansh Sharma’s unbeaten 74 off 53 balls with 3 sixes and 6 fours helped UAE trump Canada by five wickets with 2 balls to spare.
Needing 151 to win, UAE looked dead and buried at 95 for 4 but one over from Canada’s Dilon Heyliger changed the whole scenario. Sohaib smashed 2 sixes and a four as Heyliger leaked 17 runs in the final over and then started the next over with another four and a six off Jaskaran Singh as their fifth-wicket partnership raced to 50 off only 28 balls.
Great Innings from Sohaib Khan #T20WorldCup2026 pic.twitter.com/TnLcppfqDw
— Aetizaaz (@aetizaaz) February 13, 2026
While Sohaib was the aggressor, opener Aryansh Sharma was playing the anchor role with a brilliant half-century as wickets fell around him. Aryansh, who had completed his fifty in 41 balls, smashed three fours in the penultimate over of Kaleem Sana to bring down the equation to 8 runs in the final over.
Aryansh, who had taken the back seat to Sohaib’s big-hitting, opened his shoulders with his third six of the innings in the final over to level the game. Sohaib fell in the final over after UAE had levelled the score, going for the match-winning shot but Muhammad Arfan came and finished the game with a six.
Sohaib, who is an alumnus of Jamia Milia Islamia University from Delhi, delighted the crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium with his match-winning knock. In fact, he is only 2nd cricketer from Bihar, apart from Indian opener Ishan Kishan to feature in the T20 World Cup.
Playing only in his 5th T20I match, Sohaib had only scored 21 runs before this and had a top-score of 11 but played a tremendous match-turning knock for UAE. He is also only the second Jamia Millia Islamia alumnus to reach a T20 World Cup, after former India opener Virender Sehwag.
Earlier, UAE pacer Junaid Siddique became the first-ever bowler from his country to claim a five-wicket haul in the T20 World Cup. Siddique picked up 5/35 in 4 overs to restrict Canada to 150 for 7 in spite of impressive 50 off 41 balls by Harsh Thaker.
Siddique ended up with the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his brilliant bowling display, which was also his career-best figures in T20 cricket.
UAE now have 2 points from two matches but face two tough encounters against Afghanistan on Monday and South Africa on Wednesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
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