-1760637852741.webp)
- By Vishal Pushkar
- Thu, 16 Oct 2025 11:36 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
United Arab Emirates vs Japan: The Mohammed Waseem-led United Arab Emirates defeated Japan by eight wickets in the Asia/EAP Qualifying match on Thursday to become the 20th and the final team to qualify for next year's T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in India. Notably, before UAE, Nepal and Oman too qualified for the marquee tournament.
Batting first, Japan were restricted to 116 for 9 and UAE surpassed the target in just 12.1 overs, losing only two wickets.
In the ongoing Asia/East Asia-Pacific Qualifier in Oman, the UAE qualified by virtue of finishing in the top three.
Japan, led by Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, has been eliminated from the qualification race.
Also Read: Abhishek Sharma wins ICC player of the month for September 2025
Qatar and Samoa, who were pinning their hopes on a Japanese win to keep their hopes alive, can't qualify for the tournament as well.
In the chase, the Japanese side failed to gain momentum after a poor start in the powerplay (25/3). Wicket-keeper Wataru Miyauchi struck a valiant 45 not out from 32 balls to take his side to 116, with Samad contributing 11 in a stand of 42.
Despite the late fightback, the UAE ensured they held the upper hand early in their chase, with Alishan Sharafu and the skipper racing to 36/0 in the first three overs.
Waseem (42 from 26 balls) and Sharafu (46 from 27) did fall in the chase, though the Emiratis closed out the chase in the 13th over to spark their qualification celebrations.
Also Read: Rohit, Kohli practice side by side in the net session | video
The 20 qualified teams are India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Nepal, Oman, UAE, Italy, Netherlands, Namibia, USA, Canada and Ireland.
Inputs from PTI
