The UAE fell to a new low after being shot out for their lowest ever score in full international cricket.
The national team capitulated to 62 all out to surrender the T20 international series to Scotland.
They had only required 95 to win the deciding third match at Dubai International Stadium on Thursday night. But the all-too familiar failings of their batters continued as they gave up meekly, first against the new-ball bowling of Brad Currie and Jack Jarvis, then the spin of Mark Watt.
They could only survive a mere 15.2 overs, with Currie, Jarvis and Watt taking three wickets each to give the tourists a 32-run win.
It was the worst performance ever with the bat by the national team. In T20 cricket, they had twice been bowled out for 73 in the past. First, against the Netherlands just up the road at the ICC Academy in 2016, then against Sri Lanka at the T20 World Cup in Geelong in 2022.
Their worst return in one-day internationals was the 71 they were bowled out for in a humbling by Nepal in Kathmandu a year ago.
This time around, six of the UAE batters made ducks. Akif Raja, a bowler, was the only player who showed any fight, making a plucky 28 before he was last out.
Muhammad Waseem, the UAE captain, was first out for a duck, stumped. As has become the norm, it felt as though the national team’s chances were wholly reliant on the fortunes of their skipper. Without him, they crumbled.
“I don’t want [it to be like] this, but it does feel that if I go early my team is under pressure,” Waseem said.
“In the coming tournaments, I have to handle this. I was telling everyone they needed one partnership only, but unfortunately they could not do that.”
All had appeared to be going so well for the home team halfway through. Just as they had done the night before, when they limited Scotland to 121 for eight, the bowlers did their bit.
Omid Rahman took three for 19 on debut. Aayan Khan took three for 14, and Basil Hameed and Akif took two each. And yet their efforts went to waste as the batters wilted.
Currie was named player of the match, as he had been in Scotland’s thrashing of the UAE in the Cricket World Cup League 2 meeting between the sides last week.
In the one game the UAE did take off the Scots during their tour here, the left-arm swing bowler had been absent from the line up.
“It was certainly strange to have a T20 match with 160 runs for 20 wickets, but hopefully it made for a good watch,” Currie said.
“It is a very Scottish attitude to never say die. Whatever we had, we were going to leave it all out there, what with this being the last game of the tour.
“Coming off, the batters said we had 20 too many, which shows the fight and belief we have no matter what score we had.”
