New Delhi, February 17 – The head coach of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Lalchand Rajput, praised Sohaib Khan for his outstanding performance in the middle order ahead of their final Group D match against South Africa in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, adding that he has the potential to achieve even greater success in his career.
Although the UAE have been eliminated from the Super Eights, Sohaib has emerged as a significant asset for the team in the competition. With back-to-back fifties against Canada and Afghanistan, Sohaib has become the first UAE batsman to achieve this feat in a single edition of the T20 World Cup.
His nine sixes are also the most maximums hit by a UAE player in a single T20 World Cup edition. This has given the UAE the fourth best run rate (12.3) in overs 17-20, with Sohaib having an astonishing strike rate of 197.
"He is a player who has been a revelation in the middle order. He came into the team with his performances in local cricket games, and we saw that and invited him to the national camp. There, we played matches among ourselves, and he showed a lot of positive interest, and he really battled well, and he got the opportunity to play in the World Cup, and he has not looked back," Rajput said.
"Before this, we took him to the Emerging (Men's Asia) Cup, where he got over 60 runs against India, and I think he is really strong, and he plays realistic cricket. To be honest, he backs his skills, and the way he is battling is fantastic, and it's great to get back-to-back 50s, and in one game, he really won it for us, and we almost won the game yesterday as well," Rajput added.
"So, it's a good platform for him to showcase his talent. I am sure that he just has to go higher now. He can't go down now, and I am sure he knows that, and that's a good thing for UAE cricket, as we have a batsman who can bat in the middle order," Rajput said in response to a question from IANS during the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
South Africa had already secured their place in the Super Eights with three wins from three games in Group D, and arrived for the game against the UAE with nothing to lose. Rajput, who was the manager of the Indian team when they won the 2007 Men’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, said that the UAE had already shown enough over the course of the tournament to provide real encouragement for future matches.
"Overall, if you look at the UAE, I think our journey has been good so far. In the first game, we didn't do well as a bowling unit, but I think we battled well. But in the last two games, we really proved that we are a better team than what was expected after the first game," Rajput said.
The UAE were defeated by 10 wickets by New Zealand in their tournament opener in Chennai, before rallying to beat Canada by five wickets in New Delhi, and then pushing Afghanistan before losing by five wickets.
"If you look at the associate countries, I think they don't get much time to play against the best teams in the world. So, this was a big opportunity for them, and they have to come out of that shell as well," Rajput added.
Rajput also spoke about Zimbabwe's stunning 23-run victory over Australia, which has left Group B wide open. Zimbabwe face Ireland in Kandy, where the toss has been delayed due to rain, and Rajput felt that this could be the game that seals their maiden Super Eight berth and eliminates 2021 champions Australia from the tournament.
"Yes, I was with Zimbabwe for five years, and they got a great upset by beating Australia. Today, if they beat Ireland, I think Australia will be out, and it will be good for Zimbabwe cricket as well, because last time they never played in the World Cup, and getting into the Super Eights will be a good platform for them to showcase that they are still a better team compared to what is expected of them," Rajput concluded.
