The 20th match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 was played between Canada and United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. In this Group D match, UAE has opened its account in the points table by registering a thrilling win by 5 wickets. Batting first after the toss, Canada had set a challenging score of 150 runs for the loss of 7 wickets, which UAE achieved by losing 5 wickets in 19.4 overs.

UAE’s team heroes were Junaid Siddiqui, Aryansh Sharma and Shoaib Khan. Junaid prevented Canada from making a big score by taking 5 wickets. After this, when UAE lost 4 wickets for 66 runs while chasing the target of 151 runs, Aryansh-Shoaib took charge and made a partnership of 84 runs for the fifth wicket, taking the team to the threshold of T20.

Shoaib’s explosive batting

During the match-winning partnership between Aryansh and Shoaib, Shoaib scored 51 runs in 29 balls at a strike rate of 175.86. Shoaib, who came at number six, hit 4 fours and 4 sixes in his innings. Opener Aryansh remained unbeaten after scoring 74 runs in 53 balls. Shoaib was out when UAE had equaled Canada’s score.

Who is Shoaib Khan?

Shoaib belongs to Gaya district of Bihar. His house falls in Imamganj block, which was once a highly Naxal affected area. Shoaib did his initial training in Gaya city. His father used to take him from the village to Gandhi Maidan in the city every day for practice. After completing his primary education, Shoaib got admission in Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi. Here, along with his graduation studies, he also continued playing cricket. He also captained the university team.

Shoaib’s dream was to play for the Indian team but he was not able to get selected even in the Bihar national team. After not being selected in the Bihar Rann team in 2019, he had even decided to quit cricket. Shoaib continued practicing in Gaya but was regretful at not getting a place in the Ranji team.

Shoaib tells ETV India that there was a vacancy to play cricket in Dubai in 2021 and he applied after much deliberation. After this he went to Dubai. For two years, he managed his expenses in Dubai by getting money from home. He participated in club and charity tournaments and then gradually his path was made and today he has emerged as a match winner for UAE in matches like T20 World Cup. Shoaib, an aggressive right-handed batsman, made his ODI and T20I debut for UAE late last year.