UAE hero Aayan Khan: 'People say I am too small, but age is not really important'

Teen prodigy drags national team to vital one-wicket win against Namibia in Cricket World Cup League 2

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  Aayan Khan of the UAE celebrates with his teammates after taking a wicket against Namibia during their Cricket World Cup League 2 match at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday, February 23, 2023. All images Victor Besa / The National

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  Aayan Khan of the UAE took three wickets and played a match-winning innings against Namibia

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  UAE's Vriitiya Aravind bats against Namibia in Dubai

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  UAE bowled out Namibia for just 91 in Dubai

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  Hazrat Bilal of the UAE bowled a brilliant opening spell

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  UAE bowled out Namibia for 91 before fighting their way to a one-wicket win

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  UAE bowlers dominated Namibia in their Cricket World Cup League 2 match in Dubai

Aayan Khan is 17 years old. He has played four one-day internationals, and a handful of T20Is.

And yet he has already done more than many players manage over the course of a whole career.

Eleven days after winning the DP World International League T20 final at Dubai International Stadium, the teenaged whizz-kid of UAE cricket was back there tasting success in ODI cricket.

Not just playing a part, either. Despite his youth, he dominated the vital Cricket World Cup League 2 meeting with Namibia, dragging his side to a breathless one-wicket win with all the poise of a 100-cap veteran.

The national team are vying with their visitors – plus Nepal – for the third and final automatic qualifying place for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe in June.

Namibia, with one match to play, currently hold third place and hold an eight-point advantage over UAE, who still have nine games to run in the seven-team competition. It would have been a four-point swing the other way, if it were not for Aayan.

The tourists had arrived in Dubai with their confidence frayed by four losses on tour in Nepal earlier in the month.

UAE exposed their frailties immediately by firing the Namibians out for a mere 91. Hazrat Bilal started the onslaught by taking 1-8 from his four overs with the new ball.

Those who followed Bilal rammed home the advantage he had created, with Zahoor Khan, Karthik Meiyappan and Aayan himself all taking three wickets each.

Aayan’s day was far from done, even though he must have expected he would not be required to pad up, given the meagre target UAE had to aim for.

UAE’s chase was fraught with problems, brought about by Namibia’s outstanding pair of left-arm quicks, Ruben Trumpelmann and Tangeni Lungameni, who took three and four wickets respectively.

When Aayan arrived at the wicket, UAE were tottering on 53-5. Still the wickets fell at the other end, leaving him to marshal the tail through a nerve-shredding countdown.

With seven required, and just No 11 Zahoor left to help out, Aayan clipped Ben Shikongo to the fine-leg boundary for six.

Still the drama was not over. With the scores level, Aayan shovelled a catch low and in front of Michael van Lingen at mid-wicket, but he could not hold on.

The Goa-born all-rounder then completed the job by drilling a boundary straight down the ground.

“People say I am too small, but I want to show age is not really important,” Aayan said.

“It depends upon how you play. This was not hard. I told my coach it was an easy game.

“When I went out there, there was 40 to win and nothing in the wicket. It was easy.”

It is the second time in the space of his past two ODIs that Aayan has been left to navigate the tail after a top order collapse.

His canniness belie his age, as does the fact he showed no nerves in taking UAE to victory.

“I was a bit nervous when there were eight runs to win and one wicket in hand,” Aayan said.

“This is cricket. I was telling everyone who batted with me just to stay with me, because if they stayed with me I could chase the game easily.

“These points are really important, and the first two games against Namibia are particularly important.

“After that we have four games here at Dubai Stadium and then four in Nepal. We have nine games in which to move forward and, Alhamdulillah, we will try our level best to do that.”