UAE skipper Mohammad Waseem saluted his bowlers and singled out pacer Junaid Siddique for special praise after the hosts overwhelmed Scotland by eight wickets in the opening match of the T20 series.
Siddique (4-14) ran through the Scottish top order, dismissing Oli Hairs with the very second ball of the innings, and then joined forces with Aayan Khan (2-19) and Basil Hameed (2-26) to restrict the visitors to a total of 147 for eight in 20 overs.
George Munsey stood like a rock as his colleges departed in quick session, compiling a stroke-filled 75 studded with nine 4s and four 6s.
The chase never looked to be much of a challenge for the UAE with Waseem (69 not out) and Tanish Suri (37) in full control right from the first over.
Although Scotland got a mini-reprieve when leg-spinner Chris Greaves trapped Suri leg-before in the ninth over, with the total on 80, Alishan Sharafu took up the mantel to help his skipper take the home side safely towards the victory target.
“I’m very happy with the way the team performed, the way we bowled. Full credit to my bowlers” said Waseem in a post-match interview at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
“The way Munsey was playing at one time it looked like they would get 176-180. But we came back very strong and bowled very well in the death overs
“Siddique is a very experienced bowler, especially in the short format,” he added. “He bowled a top-class spell and so did Aayan and Basil.
Commenting on his innings-building partnership with teenager Tanish Suri, Waseem said: “I was very comfortable with him in the middle, I really like his technique. He’s a really good batsman.
“We talked and I told him not to worry and that there was no need to hurry. I kept telling him that we have to bat deep.”
Waseem also gave himself a pat on the back and added: “I’m very happy with my performance. We started the series on a winning note and we hope to come on stronger in the second match (Wednesday) because we don’t have time to relax.
“So inshallah, we can win the game and wrap up the series,” said Waseem.
Brief Scores
UAE beat Scotland
First match of three, T20 Series
Scotland: 147 for 8 wickets in 20 overs (George Munsey 75; Siddique 4-14, Aayan 2-19, Hameed 2-26)
UAE: 158 for 2 wickets in 17.4 overs (Waseem 69 n.o, Suri 37, Sharafu 32).
Remaining matches
T20I series
Dubai International Stadium
13 March – Second match
14 March – Third match
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