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Khaleej Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Nahayan hails ‘another glorious chapter' as UAE stun Bangladesh to make history
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mabarak Al Nahayan, Chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board, led the plaudits after the UAE Men's cricket team stunned Bangladesh in a memorable 2-1 series victory, calling it 'another glorious chapter in our cricketing history.' The series, played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, saw UAE bounce back after losing the opening match to defeat their more experienced opponents in the final two games. The decider on Wednesday night was won convincingly, as Haider Ali's spectacular 3 for 7 derailed the Bangladesh innings before Alishan Sharafu (68 not out) and Asif Khan (41 not out) sealed the chase with a composed, unbeaten 87-run stand. 'The Emirates Cricket Board is delighted with the outstanding performance of the UAE Men's team in the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh,' Sheikh Nahayan said. 'The team played brilliantly in the whole series while the support staff put in the hard yards to make the victory possible. 'I want to congratulate the entire squad and wish them the very best in their upcoming international assignments. The ECB will continue to provide the best possible facilities and exposure to our immensely talented players. UAE continues to impress in the T20I format and the Bangladesh series win is another glorious chapter in our cricketing history. 'In the recent past, the team has defeated formidable Test playing opponents like Afghanistan and New Zealand. The series win will give immense confidence and self-belief to our players and make them take on bigger and more established opponents.' The win underscores UAE's rapid rise in international cricket, especially in the T20 format, where they are increasingly competing with — and beating — Full Member nations. With this victory, the team has reaffirmed their credentials and sent a strong message to future opponents.
Khaleej Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Sharjah: Euphoric celebrations after UAE's historic series win against Bangladesh
There were euphoric celebrations at the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday after the UAE beat Bangladesh in the third T20I for their first-ever series victory over a Test-playing country. Alishan Sharafu, who was named the man-of-the-match for his 47-ball 68 not out (5 fours, 3 sixes), and Asif Khan (41 not out off 26 balls, 5 sixes) held their nerve as the UAE chased down 163 in 19.1 overs losing only three wickets. Skipper Muhammad Waseem (9) had a rare failure, but Sharafu rose to the occasion with a magnificent half-century to help the UAE beat the formidable Bangladesh team by seven wickets, less than 48 hours after their nail-biting two wicket victory on the same ground in the second match. The biggest hero for the UAE on Wednesday, though, was left-arm spinner Haider Ali who bowled an outstanding spell, taking three big wickets for just seven runs in four overs. Haider dismissed Litton Das (14), Towhid Hridoy (0) and Mahedi Hasan (2) to break the back of Bangladesh batting. The visitors never recovered from the three big blows as they managed only 162 for nine, a total the UAE comfortably chased down to script the greatest victory in their cricket history. Playing his first international series, Haider proved decisive in the series decider. 'The big wicket was Litton Das. He is their captain and he is a very big player in international. He is someone who knows the art of building partnerships,' Haider said. 'So I spoke to skipper Waseem bhai before the match that we have to bowl an attacking line to Litton Das and if he gets out early, they will be in trouble. So I am really pleased now that I managed to get him out for a low score.' Having resticted Bangladesh to a modest score, the UAE suffered a big blow when Waseem was dismissed early. But Sharafu was undetered by the challenge and played an immaculate knock to take the team home. 'The plan was pretty simple: to go out there and play as many balls as possible. Everything just worked out in the end,' Sharafu said after receving the man-of-the-match award. 'Waseem bhai has been fantastic all series, and losing him early today was a big blow. But obviously, it was another opportunity for everyone else around him to get themselves in.' Skipper Waseem, who was named the man-of-the series for his 145 runs in three matches, was lost for words. 'I'm very happy we have made history. This series means a lot to us. It's very helpful for us in the future,' he said. 'And I'm very happy with the performance of the boys, the way Asif played, Alishan, and the way Haider bowled, and the other bowlers. I'm very happy with the performance of my whole team. I have no words for this victory.' Meanwhie, bowling hero Haider thanked the Emirates Cricket Board for their constant support. 'I think credit must go to the our cricket board, they have given us a lot of support and great facilities,' he said. 'It's because of their efforts that we have improved as a team and today we have won a T20 series against a test-playing team (Bangladesh). 'I also have to acknowledge the contributions of the club teams in the UAE. This victory is for them also. The clubs have given the players a lot of support.'
The National
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Waseem leads UAE to historic win over Bangladesh to level T20 series
A small piece of cricket history was made on Monday night when the UAE defeated Bangladesh for the first time ever in a T20 international. Having been set a daunting target of 206 in Sharjah, the UAE held their nerve in the final over to pull off the biggest chase ever by an associate nation against a full member team in T20Is. The previous highest was 191 by Afghanistan against Zimbabwe in 2015. It was also the first ever successful chase of a 200-plus target in the UAE in T20Is and tied the series up at 1-1, with the decider to come on Wednesday. Muhammad Waseem led from the front with a brilliant 42-ball 82 but it was Haider Ali, playing in only his second match for the UAE and batting for the first time, who took them over the line in a dramatic finish. The left arm spinner arrived at the crease at number nine to smash 15 off six deliveries. That included a six to clinch victory for his side by eight wickets with a ball to spare. Haider smashed seamer Shoriful Islam over backward point for the maximum in the second ball he faced before an eventful overthrow that fetched him five more runs in the next. Haider played back a delivery towards the bowler and scurried for a single. Shoriful had enough time to aim at the stumps from close range but missed completely with no one backing up, conceding 11 runs from just two deliveries. That set the tone with 12 runs required from Tanzim Hasan's final over. Dhruv Parishar whacked a full toss for six but was out next ball, leaving Haider to take his team over the line. Captain Muhammad Waseem reviews UAE's stunning win over Bangladesh in the 2nd T20I at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium — UAE Cricket Official (@EmiratesCricket) May 20, 2025 'We needed 29 to win from the last 11 balls which meant we had to score virtually off every ball. It was a big challenge and for me an opportunity to go out there and get those runs,' Haider told The National. 'I have played a lot of domestic cricket on this ground and I was confident that I can turn this game around for our team. Alhamdulillah, I'm glad I did it. 'I was pretty sure of hitting any short delivery out of the ground and the second ball was exactly what I wanted. True, I put the finishing touch to this game but everyone chipped in with their contributions in this remarkable win.' Waseem and Muhammad Zohaib (38 off 34) shared an opening stand of 107 in 61 balls to set the platform and then the rest of the batters kept that momentum going until the end to complete the UAE's historic win. Waseem was ecstatic with the result and optimistic of replicating the victory in the series decider on Wednesday. 'The win has provided us the confidence that we can do it again and that's what we want to do going into the next game. We want go out there and play positive cricket,' Waseem, who belted nine fours and five sixes, said. Captain COOL! 😎 Muhammad Waseem spearheaded another HISTORIC win for the UAE with a scintillating 82 off 42 balls ( 9 4s, 5 6s) — UAE Cricket Official (@EmiratesCricket) May 19, 2025 'I was giving hope to everyone that we can chase this score because we know the conditions here on this ground. 'We went with a game plan and it worked well for us. We made changes in the batting order as we wanted quick runs at every over of the game. And everyone who came into bat rose to the occasion and contributed with some big hits. 'I'm very happy with the team's performance and my own to win against a Test-playing team. We will go with our strengths for the deciding game and hopefully we can make it 2-1.' The Bangladesh captain Litton Das admitted it was a tough loss to take. He said: 'Any loss is hard, but we still batted well on this wicket. Wicket was pretty good, when they batted, they had the favour of dew. We missed a bit in the fielding and in the middle overs bowling. When you play on this type of ground, which is small and with dew a factor, you have to calculate and plan (as bowlers). 'What Rana did before [his final over], we were expecting more from him. You can have good days and bad days. We will sit and talk and come back.'
The National
15-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Trading places? UAE men's team look intent on exiting ODI cricket just as their female colleagues are promoted
Maybe UAE cricket is not big enough to have two sides playing one-day international cricket. The national women's team were rightly lauded for promotion to that elite club last week. Esha Oza's side are thriving, to the point where they even attracted worldwide headlines for their razor-sharp thinking in winning a regional T20 qualifying fixture against Qatar on Saturday. The contrast to the listless men's team could not possibly be any starker. They appear to be racing towards an end to ODI status altogether after their latest shambolic display in Cricket World Cup League Two. They were thrashed by eight wickets by Scotland in the Netherlands, with more than half of their bowling effort still to go. The weak display has become their standard in the 50-over format. It was their fourth loss in five matches on tour, and leaves them rooted to the bottom of the division. The competition is nominally the start of the qualifying process for the next ODI World Cup. That is fanciful, though. More realistically, the UAE are playing to safeguard their right to play ODI cricket. The sides who finish in the bottom two of the eight-team league run the risk of losing that status. They could still salvage it via a convoluted process where they finish higher than the teams in the next tier of the competition structure in a qualifying tournament in the future. But, the way they have been playing for such an extended period of time, they really do not deserve it. The ODI side has been rotting for years now. They have three wins in 16 matches in the Cricket World Cup League Two cycle, and were abysmal at the end of the previous one, too. The national team had six months to prepare for the series in the Netherlands. What they spent that time doing, who knows? Even the basics have been beyond them. They had eight run outs in five matches on tour. Half that number would barely be excusable for a discipline which is so clearly controllable. How has it come to this? At the start of 2020, it felt as though the national team had set the foundations for a bright future. Chirag Suri had established himself at the top of the batting order, and other young talents of rare promise were following him through the youth ranks. Players of the calibre of Vriitya Aravind, Karthik Meiyappan, Kai Smith, Ali Naseer, Aayan Khan and Dhruv Parashar. Some have left the game entirely, or felt better served trying out a different system overseas instead. Those who remain appear to be in the doldrums, but there is plenty of time for each of them to have fulfilling international careers. Was there a specific moment which prompted the downturn? Looking back now, allowing Robin Singh, the previous head coach, to skip a tri-series in favour of the IPL might have had a lasting effect. If it is not so important for the coach to attend, that sends a message. It is also telling that it was Ahmed Raza who – as coach – oversaw the decision to retired out 10 batters in the women's game against Qatar at the weekend. That has widely praised as a tactical masterstroke. Since he was replaced as the captain of the men's team, in August 2022, the UAE have won 13 of 45 ODIs. They won that many in 16 fewer games on his watch. It has not been easy for those who have followed. Rahul Chopra is the latest to take on the poisoned chalice of captaincy. He tried his best to stimulate an improvement in the Netherlands, scoring a smart hundred in their one win on tour. But he was at a loss to explain his side's demise by the end of the series. 'We didn't execute our plan, we lost wickets in clusters, and we didn't build partnerships,' Chopra said. 'We continuously threw wickets [away] in clusters early on, and we have had two or three run outs in every match. After that we have been moving backwards. We need more preparation and more discipline.'
News.com.au
10-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Madness': All 10 batters retire in cricket scorecard chaos
The cricket world has been left in disbelief after watching the United Arab Emirates (UAE) retire all 10 batters in a crazy Women's T20 World Cup qualifier. Saturday's Asia qualifier produced scenes of 'proper madness' as the UAE deployed a deliberate tactic of retiring all of their batters in order to complete their innings as quickly as possible. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. UAE openers Esha Oza and Theertha Satish had smashed their way to 0/192 in 16 overs when the team made the call to speed up their innings in order to try and wrap the game up before rain was expected to hit the TerdThai Cricket Ground in Bangkok, Thailand. There were extraordinary scenes as UAE's batters lined up in procession on the boundary rope to retire their innings without facing a delivery. There are no declarations in international T20 cricket, so retiring all their batters was the quickest option available to coach Ahmed Raza. Leading cricket scribe Paul Radley described the scenes as 'proper madness'. Understandably, he also described the innings scorecard as 'crazy'. In reply, Qatar survived just 11.1 and were knocked over for 29 runs, giving the UAE a 163-run victory. Only three Qatari batters were able to score runs with seven ducks recorded on their innings. With the UAE retirements counting as ducks, there were a history-shattering 15 ducks in the game. The UAE's innings was the first instance of a team retiring more than two batters in a men's or women's international match. Captain Oza was the player of the match after striking 113 from 55 balls and also picking up a wicket. Satish also hit 74 from 42 balls before the retirements began. It was Michelle Botha who did the damage with the ball for the UAE, taking three wickets for just 11 runs. It was the UAE's second consecutive victory at the Asia Qualifier event and puts them in the box seat to progress to the Super Three stage of the event as the top team in Group B. The top two teams will progress to the Global Qualifier.
