UAE beat Japan to capture final spot in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026

Muscat [Oman], October 16 (ANI): The United Arab Emirates (UAE) secured their place in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 after an emphatic, eight-wicket victory over Japan in its Super Six clash at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Asia/East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Qualifier in Oman on Thursday.

Muhammad Waseem and his charges join Nepal and Oman as the three qualifiers of the regional qualification competition, with guaranteed top-three finishes before the tournament's scheduled conclusion on Friday, according to the ICC.

The 20 teams for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 are now finalised. They are as follows: India (tournament host), Sri Lanka (tournament host), Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, England, Ireland, Italy, Namibia, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, South Africa, the UAE, the USA, the West Indies, and Zimbabwe.

The UAE eliminated hopefuls, Japan, Samoa and Qatar from contention, who were still in with a mathematical chance.

In the match, Japan were restricted to 116/9 after being put into bat by the UAE. Only Wataru Miyauchi - at number nine - made a significant contribution to the scoreboard, returning unbeaten for 45 off 32 deliveries. Other scores in the double figures came from Esam Rahman (23) and Abhishek Anand (10) at the top of the order and Abdul Samad (11 not out) at number 11.

The UAE's Haider Ali (three for 20) and Muhammad Arfan (two for 24) did the most damage with the ball in hand, setting up a simple chase for their batters.

Openers, Alishan Sharafu and Muhammad Waseem did not disappoint, they shared a 70-run stand before it was broken by Declan Suzuki (one for 14), who removed the skipper, Waseem, for 42 at the start of the eighth over.

Sharafu departed for 46 at the hands of Ibrahim Takahashi (one for 16) in the 11th over, but the foundation was firmly laid, giving Mayank Kumar (13 not out) and Rahul Chopra (14 not out) a smooth pathway to batting their team victory with 47 balls to spare.

The T20 World Cup 2026 includes hosts India and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the USA, and the West Indies qualified due to a top-seven finish in the last T20 World Cup. Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan's ICC T20I Rankings earned them a spot. Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Oman and the UAE entered by doing well in the qualifiers of their respective regions. (ANI)

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