DUBAI // Khurram Khan, the UAE captain, said his side are starting to reap the benefits of all the hard work they have put in as part of their lead up to next year’s World Cup.
Khurram received overdue reward for one of the finest international careers beyond the Test game when, at age 43, he scored his first officially recognised ODI ton against Afghanistan in Dubai.
It was the cornerstone of a brilliant run-chase by the UAE, who took a 2-0 lead in the four-match series after chasing down 281 with 10 balls and six wickets to spare.
The national team have long grown used to such feats of achievement from their captain after leading the side for most of the past decade.
He achieved it despite being unable to attend most of the 20-day training camp that led up to this series because of work commitments.
Despite his absence, he still sets the example for the rest to follow. Happily for him, the rest are pulling their weight as well.
Krishna Karate took three wickets, before Mohammed Shahzad accompanied his captain in a decisive alliance worth 160 in the run chase.
“It is all down to the hard work we have put in and thanks to the coaching staff we have in place,” Khurram said.
“Mudassar Nazar has been here, Paul Collingwood was here, and the players worked really hard in [the recent preparatory tour of] Australia and for 20 days here in Dubai.
“The guys are putting in the effort. It is not like before when we were average for one match, then would perform better in the next.
“We have set a standard and we are not going below that and that is very good to see.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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