Captain Muhammad Waseem exhibited an audacious half-century, leading the United Arab Emirates to a resounding victory against a struggling New Zealand side on August 19.
Benefiting from two missed opportunities, Waseem masterfully guided the run chase with a swift 55 off 29 balls. UAE cruised to a score of 144-3, securing a convincing seven-wicket triumph with over three overs to spare. This remarkable win stands as one of their finest T20 victories against a team with Test-playing status.
The early batters of New Zealand team found themselves entangled in the artful left-arm spin of 17-years-old youngster Aaayan Afzal Khan, who claimed an impressive 3 wickets and gave away only 20.
However, a resilient knock of 63 from 46 balls by Mark Chapman provided a fighting score for the Kiwis, as they finished at 142 runs for the loss of 8 wickets.
In their defense of the total, the New Zealand bowlers encountered limited assistance from their fielders. A crucial drop by Kyle Jamiesen off Waseem during the batting powerplay exemplified this, while James Neesham’s stunning catch in the slips dismissed Aryansh Sharma in the opening over.
Waseem unleashed three powerful sixes and four well-timed boundaries, collaborating in two crucial partnerships. He combined forces with Vriitya Aravind (25) to add 40 runs for the second wicket, followed by a substantial 56-run partnership with Asif Khan, who remained unbeaten on 48.
Unfortunately, Waseem’s innings came to an end in the 11th over as he was caught by Tim Southee. However, Asif Khan took charge and ensured UAE’s victory by sealing the outcome with two boundaries and a six against Southee during the 16th over.
New Zealand struggled to find any rhythm on the sluggish pitch at Dubai International Stadium, facing an exceptional performance from the 17-years-old Aayan during the powerplay. The decision to promote Mitchell Santner to No. 3 backfired for New Zealand, as Aayan claimed two wickets in consecutive deliveries by clean bowling Santner and Dane Cleaver.
The series concludes with the third and final game scheduled for Sunday. New Zealand, having rested key T20 players for the UAE series, is set to move on to England for a limited-overs series afterwards.
Back to back wickets for Aayan Khan 💪
— FanCode (@FanCode) August 19, 2023
This guy isn't even 18 😱#UAEvNZ pic.twitter.com/zjAfIdsfda
