The United Arab Emirates stunned Bangladesh, coming back from a defeat in the opening game to win the next two to register a first-ever T20I series victory over the fellow Asian rivals. The bowlers helped the UAE restrict Bangladesh to a modest 162 before the batters chased it down in the last over.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) scripted history in Sharjah on Wednesday evening (May 21), beating Bangladesh in a T20I series for the first time. Following a defeat in the series opener, the UAE came back into the assignment strongly with back-to-back wins in the remainder of the games to win it 2-1. After pulling off a sensational run-chase in the sophomore contest where the batters stood up for the hosts, it was the bowlers’ turn to put their hand up in the decider, which they did, restricting Bangladesh to 162.
It was a star turnout from left-arm spinner Haider Ali, who scalped three wickets while conceding just seven runs in his four-over spell. Tanzid Hasan actually began with a bang for Bangladesh, scoring 40 off just 18 balls. However, the problem lied at the other end. By the time Hasan was done with his innings, he had seen four batters coming in and going out inside the powerplay.
57/5 is a difficult place to recover from and even though Jaker Ali, Hasan Mahmud and Shoriful Islam tried their best, in the absence of Mustafizur Rahman, they had to bowl out of their skins to defend that total.
Shoriful actually struck early, sending back dangerous Muhammad Waseem. However, Alishan Sharafu was calm and composed and took chances when only necessary because with the target and required rate not being outrageous, he knew that he could play it safe and didn’t have to take extra risks. The strike rate may just be 144, but it did the job and if the UAE needed an extra punch, Asif Khan provided it at No 5, scoring a 26-ball 41, hitting as many as five sixes, as the hosts finished the job in the final over.
Bangladesh definitely lacked the experience of Mustafizur and Taskin Ahmed, but it was the batters who were at fault in the decider as it was certainly a 180-185 pitch, if not more. Bangladesh will now travel to Pakistan for three-match T20I series, shortened by a couple of maytches.
