T20 WC: We Need To Be Smarter With Our Execution With The Ball, Says UAE Skipper Waseem

T20 WC: We need to be smarter with our execution with the ball, says UAE skipper Waseem (Image Source: IANS)

The United Arab Emirates: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) skipper Muhammad Waseem admitted his team fell short and emphasised the need to improve with the ball after New Zealand thrashed them by 10 wickets.

Tim Seifert and Finn Allen produced a world record opening partnership of 175 runs as New Zealand thrashed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 10 wickets in a Group C match at the MA Chidamabaram Stadium in Chennai.

He acknowledged that a better bowling performance was crucial on a surface that provided plenty of assistance.

“As I told you earlier. We were short 15-20 runs. We need to step up as a bowling unit. Surface was very good. We need to be smarter with our execution with the ball. Which balls need to be bowled to which batter and when makes a lot of difference,” he said.

The UAE will next play Canada on Friday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium as Waseem urged his team to be smarter in their execution and to quickly shift their focus to the upcoming clash with Canada.

“We will be looking forward to that Canada game coming up. We need to put this loss behind us and look forward.”

Waseem then joined hands with Alishan Sharafu and led the UAE’s batting with a notable second-wicket partnership. They put together 107 runs, which is now the second-highest second-wicket stand for the UAE in T20Is.

UAE finished the Power-play at 50/1, which is now their highest Power-play score in T20 World Cups. Their previous highs were 46/1 against Ireland in Sylhet in 2014, 31/2 versus Zimbabwe in Sylhet in 2014, and 31/0 against the Netherlands in Geelong in 2022. Rising to the occasion against a Test-playing nation, Sharafu scored a fantastic half-century with a six off his 39th delivery.

Waseem then joined hands with Alishan Sharafu and led the UAE’s batting with a notable second-wicket partnership. They put together 107 runs, which is now the second-highest second-wicket stand for the UAE in T20Is.

He also highlighted the positives from Alishan Sharafu’s talent, expressing confidence that the young player would keep performing well despite the setback. “Alishan is a very talented player. I spoke about him at the conference, and I said the same about him. Very talented."

Article Source: IANS