United Arab Emirates skipper Mohammad Waseem rose to the occasion with a blistering half-century to lead his side to a historic seven-wicket win over New Zealand to level the T20I series 1-1 on Saturday.
Waseem was handed two lifelines by the Kiwi fielders and he made the most of it by playing a match-winning innings of 55 runs off just 29 balls which helped UAE chase down 142 with 26 balls to spare and emerge triumphant over the test-playing nation.
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Before Waseem's heroics with the bat, left-arm spinner Aayan Afzal Khan produced the goods with the ball as he castled Mitchell Santner and Dane CLeaver before outfoxing Chad Bowes to finish with three wickets at the expense of 20 runs.
Watch Highlights: UAE vs New Zealand
Captain leads from the front!
— UAE Cricket Official (@EmiratesCricket) August 19, 2023
SENSATIONAL 55 off 29 (Four 4️⃣s Three 6️⃣s) gives UAE firm control of the 143-run chase.#UAEvNZ pic.twitter.com/V86gQ5dwOb
The moment UAE defeated New Zealand and squared the three-match T20I series 1-1
— UAE Cricket Official (@EmiratesCricket) August 19, 2023
🇦🇪🏏 pic.twitter.com/Heygr0Puu9
Some DAZZLING shots in the Vriitya Aravind cameo!
— UAE Cricket Official (@EmiratesCricket) August 19, 2023
That NO LOOK SIX 🔥🔥🔥
UAE 66/2 after 8 overs - 77 needed off 72 balls. #UAEvNZ pic.twitter.com/W6LQILwMw9
Two in Two! 🔥🔥🔥
— UAE Cricket Official (@EmiratesCricket) August 19, 2023
Aayan Afzal Khan MAGIC at the Dubai International Stadium!!
Santner and Cleaver bowled off consecutive balls - 5th over of the NZ innings. #UAEvNZ pic.twitter.com/kB7zGv75rP
What did Muhammed Waseem say after beating New Zealand?
Our captain fantastic Muhammad Waseem is elated and rightly so!
— UAE Cricket Official (@EmiratesCricket) August 19, 2023
🇦🇪🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/tkMEDcuYIg
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What did New Zealand batsman Mark Chapman say after the shock loss to UAE?
Mark Chapman was the only bright spark in a lacklustre New Zealand side as he scored 63 to help his side put up a respectable total of 142 on the board.
However, when asked if New Zealand took UAE lightly the batsman denied the charges.
"I think we’ve seen associate cricket is going from strength to strength," Chapman told reporters after the loss. "The T20 World Cup in Australia highlighted that with some associate nations turning over some test nations. It's certainly no surprise to see the way they’ve played and the confidence they have with some really strong local tournaments here. It's producing some good talent."
New Zealand captain Tim Southee was graceful in defeat and admitted they were "outplayed" in every department.
"A lot of the credit has to go to the UAE team. They outplayed us in all three facets," Southee said.
"We probably didn't learn enough from the other day, we made a few mistakes that were similar to the other day and we were made to pay for that. We just have to be bettered in all three areas."
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