The United Arab Emirates captain Mohammed Naveed urged his team to play without fear in the final of the Anib Challenge against Nepal.
The international Twenty20 series will be 1-1 ahead of Sunday’s final game at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
The home team was a sure winner on Thursday in the opening match, just one day later Nepal hit a crowded crowd in Sports City.
The United Arab Emirates lost the one-day international series before the T20, although they also won the first game. However, Naveed is confident that his team will take care of the event this time around.
“We were unlucky in the last game, but the boys made a great effort,” said Naveed, who oversees his first series of games as captain of the UAE. “We made some mistakes, especially in the brawl, but we believe in ourselves.
“There is no pressure and I want everyone to enjoy a game like this.”
The home team’s prospects in both formats were adversely affected by under-par strikes. The fact that they still have the chance to win the series is a testament to their bowling’s outstanding performance.
They comfortably defended 153 on Thursday in the grid of the T20 and brought Nepal to the final the next day, even though they were only 107.
When #Nepal’s cricketers return Kathmandu after a triumphant two weeks in Dubai, they will have with them trophies, prize-money “and a lot of good memories” | @PaulRadley | https://t.co/A1j0rL6e1P #UAEvNEP #UAEvsNEP pic.twitter.com/uvh6Pr7UQT
— The National Sport (@NatSportUAE) February 3, 2019
In general, Naveed has led the ball from the beginning, with a miserable saving rate of 4.62 runs in the two previous games.
The efforts of the national team with the ball were reinforced by a good return of Sultan Ahmed.
The Left Armspinner had been out of the national team for almost two years, although he was impressed with his debut against Papua New Guinea in Abu Dhabi in 2017.
After receiving a recall in the absence of the suspended spinner Ahmed Raza, Sultan has been shining.
His profitability for the series is 4.37, even better than Naveed, and he returned glittering numbers of 2: 9 from four overs on Friday.
“When I made my debut for the United Arab Emirates against PNG, I started with a girl from the beginning,” said Sultan. “That gave me the confidence to think I could play for the national team. I was dropped then, but now I’m back and I want to take all the odds that come in my way.
“I want to establish myself in the site and consistently act for the United Arab Emirates. “Nepal’s bet has also stalled when they reached only 132: 7 in the first game and then had to overcome a top-rank wobble to win the second.
The Nepalese captain Paras Khadka is pleased that his team has found a way to victory, but calls more of the failed top position of the team.
“The bottom line is what matters, but if we can get off to a better start, we’ll move to a better position,” Khadka said. “We have a decision maker in the series and hope we can do another good job.
“We have to start all over again and both teams are equally strong. The games have shown that players from both sides are very hungry to go out there and play. “We try our best and hope we can achieve that final compelling performance.”
