T20I tri-series: Fakhar Zaman, Abrar Ahmed shine; Pakistan beat UAE to set up final against Afghanistan

Pakistan secured their spot in the T20I tri-series final with a commanding 31-run victory over the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. Fakhar Zaman's unbeaten 77 and Abrar Ahmed's career-best bowling performance were the highlights of the match.Zaman's explosive innings of 77 not out from 44 balls marked his 12th T20I half-century. Mohammad Nawaz contributed an unbeaten 37 from 27 balls, helping Pakistan recover from 80-5 to post 171-5 in their allocated 20 overs.Abrar Ahmed delivered an outstanding bowling performance, taking 4-9 in his four overs. UAE managed 140-7 in response, with Alishan Sharafu scoring a fighting 68 off 51 balls, including four sixes and four fours.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The victory was Pakistan's third in four matches, ensuring both Pakistan and Afghanistan would advance to Sunday's final. UAE's key batsmen Muhammad Waseem and Asif Khan were dismissed for 19 and 7 respectively.Pakistan's innings started poorly after choosing to bat first, losing five wickets for 80 runs in 11.3 overs. The early dismissals included Saim Ayub (11), Sahibzada Farhan (16), Salman Agha (7), Mohammad Haris (14), and Hasan Nawaz (4).Zaman and Nawaz turned the game around with a crucial 91-run partnership off 51 balls for the sixth wicket. This was Zaman's first fifty in 14 innings since his performance against Ireland in Dublin last May.Zaman's innings featured two sixes and ten fours, while Nawaz hit two sixes and three fours. The pair accelerated in the final overs, scoring 74 runs in the last five overs and 42 in the final two.Nawaz dominated Junaid Siddique's penultimate over with three fours and a six. Zaman followed with five consecutive boundaries in Muhammad Jawadullah's final over.UAE's spinner Haider Ali emerged as their most effective bowler, claiming 2-17.