UAE vs NZ: Muhammad Waseem clocks his eighth T20I half-century
United Arab Emirates skipper Muhammad Waseem played a historic knock in the second T20I against New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium. Waseem smoked his eighth T20I half-century and his first against the Kiwis. His 29-ball 55 made the chase very comfortable for the hosts as they won by seven wickets and with 26 balls to spare. Here we decode his stats.
A match-defining knock from Waseem
The 29-year-old opener saw his partner Aryansh Sharma get dismissed early on but he stayed positive. He didn't shy away from playing his strokes and hence, his knock was studded with four boundaries and three maximums. He added 40 crucial runs with Vriitya Aravind before stitching a 56-run partnership with Asif Khan, taking the total close to the 100-run mark. Mitchell Santner dismissed him.
Second-highest run-scorer for UAE in T20Is
Waseem has been a prolific run-getter for UAE, especially in this format. His attacking approach helps him flourish in the powerplay overs. He has amassed 997 runs in 25 matches at an impressive average of 41.54. His tally includes eight fifties and two tons. Only, Rohan Mustafa (1,006) is nine runs ahead of him at the top. Waseem boasts a strike rate of 145.97.
Most fifties for UAE in T20Is
As mentioned, this was Waseem's eighth T20I half-century. He has also slammed two centuries in this format. The 29-year-old has steered clear of Chirag Suri's record of seven T20I fifties with this knock. Waseem also owns the most 50-plus scores for UAE in T20Is (10).
How did the match pan out?
NZ had a horrendous start as they were reduced to 38/4 in 6.2 overs. Later, Mark Chapman and James Neesham added 53 runs to steady the ship. Chapman's fifty helped them reach 142/8 in 20 overs. In reply, Waseem slammed a fiery fifty and made things comfortable for UAE. He added 56 runs with Asif and the latter steered them home in 15.4 overs.
