Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (SHARJAH)
The UAE cricket team is taking a lot of positives from their 2-1 series defeat to Afghanistan in the Twenty20 Internationals format. Having run the opponents close in Sharjah for the second and most of the third match, they fell short in the final over of the third match.
Muhammad Waseem's motley mix of seniors with a sizeable chunk of debutants were bamboozled at the start of the decider by the brilliance of fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq, who had them on the ropes at 56-5 at one stage.
It hurt UAE the most that the bowler chose their moment of reckoning to send out a message to the Afghanistan board, who stripped him of a central contract on the eve of the series for prioritising franchise league formats over international duty. Afghanistan play powerhouses India next. Haq also suggested that the wicket was more conducive for bowling in the third match compared to the earlier ones. His man-of-the-match worthy spell of 4-20 forced the UAE to muster only 126-9.
Naveen, @imqaisahmadd and @AzmatOmarzay starred with the ball before @zazai_3 and @iamnajibzadran helped Afghanistan beat @EmiratesCricket by 4 wickets in the series decider and win the three-match T20I series 2-1 at the @sharjahstadium. 👏
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) January 2, 2024
More: https://t.co/gvSUQ9aSef pic.twitter.com/NGzCv0f8kJ
That too included a record 10-wicket stand in T20s of 19 runs between fast bowlers Muhammad Jawadullah and Junaid Siddiqui. The UAE bowlers kept chipping away wickets to raise hopes of victory until Najibullah Zadran (28 not out) steered their side to safety.
"It was a good experience for us overall before the big game series against India," Haq said in the post-match address at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. "It was a good game for us in terms of performances from everyone. The wicket was also better compared to the first two games. There was the collapse yes, but Najib did well for us to win us the game.
"It is not about the opposition. Whether it is England, India or the UAE. You have to give each team the same respect. The UAE had our respect and they did well too on the field. Ali Nasser, Aayan Khan, Jawadullah, Siddiqui and others have potential to play for the UAE for a long time," said Haq in doffing the hat to the UAE.
Waseem, too, expressed pleasure for a side which had four players making their debuts as reward for reaching the Under 19 Asia Cup final last month. "The boys have played very well and put up a good fight," the UAE captain said.
"Despite losing the first game, they did well to come back hard to win the second and nearly won the third as well. Afghanistan benefitted from their experience, and we couldn't tighten up in the field to stem the flow of runs. We had a great chance to take the series.
"We ran Afghanistan close in similar fashion last February, where we won a game and took it close towards the end of that series; We had a win against New Zealand [UAE's finest game till date against a full-member playing nation] and here as well. We have a young, talented side who are putting up a fight each time and it bodes well, so congratulations to my team."
