Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (SHARJAH)
UAE cricket captain Muhammad Waseem is hoping they repeat their actions on Saturday from the first Twenty20 International match against Bangladesh and try to level the two-game series while hoping they do not run into a historic effort again like they did with Parvez Hossain Emon.
The opener, who last month notched the fastest fifty in recognised cricket for Bangladesh, smashed 100 from 54 balls at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium and added another record feather as only the second player to score a hundred in the format for his country after Tamim Iqbal.
Also left-handed like Iqbal, Emon has hit a purple patch after two years of inconsistency, blemishing his potential that everyone back home for the visitors has been raving about. Emon's first hundred in nine innings was a knock just like another, he said in the post-match interaction with Aletihad.
"I have always batted as I do. There was nothing different, nor any pressure," said the Man of the Match award winner.
As a 22-year-old, he hit nine sixes and five boundaries before getting out on the score of 100 and ensuring Bangladesh finished with 191 for 7 after the hosts decided to bowl first on an unusual pitch for a Sharjah track where the surface had a greenish tinge.
That did not deter Emon as he followed Tamim Iqbal's 103 against Oman at the 2016 T20 World Cup to keep Bangladesh always ahead of the curve, despite the UAE bowlers trying hard to chip away at the wickets.
In response, UAE's captain Muhammad Waseem scored 54 runs off 39 balls, while Asif Khan contributed a quickfire 42 off 21 balls. The temperamental wicketkeeper and captain in the one-day format, Rahul Chopra, looked good during his stay in a 35-run knock. While Waseem and Chopra were at the crease, it looked like the UAE would spring an upset.
Once both left, there was still hope as Asif Khan smashed three consecutive sixes. However, Bangladesh's bowlers delivered as the professionals they are by targeting the non-striker end to clip away a couple more crickets while denying the strike to Khan, the man with the fastest hundred among Associate nations.
Once he also holed out, UAE folded quickly for 164 in 20 overs. Bangladesh's bowlers, including Mustafizur Rahman (2 for 17), Hasan Mahmud (3 for 33), Mahedi Hasan (2 for 55), and Tanzim Hasan Sakib (2 for 22), played crucial roles in restricting the hosts.
UAE's left-arm pacer Muhammad Jawadullah impressed with figures of 4 for 21, but his efforts were insufficient and perhaps came too late as the third-change bowler in preventing Bangladesh's victory. His wickets ensured the match remained competitive until the final overs, showcasing the growing prowess of UAE cricket.
Waseem justified the decision for Jawadullah's late introduction, saying "he is used to bowling later and that is how we had the plans for him". For Bangladesh, coach Phil Simmons said he was very happy for Emon and that the team delivered nicely before they head off to Pakistan for a five-match series.
