CP Rizwan: There are good things to come for UAE cricket

The United Arab Emirates recorded their first ever T20 World Cup win by defeating Namibia by seven runs in Geelong, a result which their captain believes will kickstart something special for his young side

CP Rizwan believes the United Arab Emirates' win over Namibia is just the beginning of a successful period for his side, stating "there's a lot of good things to come for UAE cricket."

The UAE made history in Geelong on October 20, beating Namibia by seven runs to record their first ever win at a men's T20 World Cup, something which sweetened the disappointment of being eliminated in the first round.

But their captain already has one eye on the future, voicing his determination to "build on this momentum" as well as calling for more "exposure" to help cricket grow in the UAE.

"I'm feeling really happy," Rizwan said. "It's a proud moment. We can now fly better back home! It's a massive moment. We want to build on this momentum and build lots of great things for UAE moving forward.

^{Muhammad Waseem (right) is congratuted by his captain for his match-winning performance [Martin Keep/Getty Images]}

"I would like to give credit to our coach Robin Singh and our management [for instilling] belief in the youngsters, give them confidence that they are here to achieve and perform and not worry about the stage. We have a 16-year-old kid [Aayan Khan] who has done a really great job, we have Karthik [Meiyappan] who created history as the first UAE cricketer to take a World Cup hat-trick.

"That's a huge bonus for UAE cricket moving forward because these are the guys who are taking cricket forward. I'm sure there are lots of good things to come for UAE cricket. Hopefully, if we get more matches like this, more exposure, it will help UAE cricket for sure."

Rizwan played a key role in his country's victory, scoring 43 not out from 29 balls at No.3 and sharing vital partnerships Muhammad Waseem (58 runs off 41 balls for the second wicket) and Basil Hameed (35 off 18 for the fourth) to help the UAE to a competitive total of 148 for 3.

A flurry of wickets from Hameed (2 for 17), Junaid Siddique (1 for 35), Zahoor Khan (2 for 20) and Meiyappan (1 for 34) then had Namibia floundering on 69 for 7 in the 13th over before a blockbuster 70-run stand between David Wiese and Ruben Trumpelmann threatened to deny the UAE a fairy-tale win. However, the victory was sealed by the unlikeliest of players, with Waseem – a part-time medium pacer – stepping up with two overs at the death.

^{Zahoor Khan delivered a crucial bowling performance for the UAE [Martin Keep/Getty Images]}

"We have always believed in [Waseem's] ability because we played together and against each other in domestic cricket. I've seen him nailing yorkers, so I have had that trust in him. And what better moment can you have to nail yorkers and get the big wicket [of] David Wiese. I'm really happy for him," Rizwan said.

"From the 16th over, I thought the momentum had shifted towards Namibia. I want to give credit to Zahoor Khan. He bowled the 19th over and brought the game back for us. To make it 14 [from] the last over, I would say a great job done by Zahoor. He pulled off some amazing yorkers, he showed his experience and class.

"And Basil [Hameed] bowled really well with the new ball: he kept the batsmen under pressure and gave us the breakthrough.”

Addressing his decision to give the crucial final over the Waseem, he continued: "I was just telling him to believe in himself. He has done it in UAE domestically. It was just a matter of translating that ability to the bigger level. I'm really happy he did that today."

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