ABU DHABI: Opener Muhammad Waseem smashed a rapid-fire 91 as the United Arab Emirates crushed Afgh­a­nistan by nine wickets to win the second T20I on Saturday and level the three-game series 1-1.

Chasing 138 to win, Waseem made his runs off just 50 balls with eight fours and seven sixes.

The 29-year-old shared a first-wicket partnership of 119 with Vriitya Aravind (38) before he was dismissed in the 14th over.

The UAE reached their target with 10 balls to spare.

Afghanistan had won the first match on Thursday by five wickets but struggled to gain any momentum on Saturday.

Najibullah Zadran top-scored with an undefeated 37 off 29 balls, hitting five fours and a six.

Summarised scores:

AFGHANISTAN 137-6 (Najibullah Zadran 37 not out); UAE 138-1 in 18.2 overs (Muhammad Waseem 91, Vriitya Aravind 38).

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2023