Dubai: Battered and bruised by the hammering in the previous game, New Zealand looked like a team on a mission to show the gulf between the two sides in terms of their cricketing prowess. On the receiving end were the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who would now rue their missed chances in the first game, thereby failing to register what would have been an epic series victory over a full-time cricket member.
New Zealand beat the UAE by 32 runs in the final T20I of the series, restricting the hosts to 134/7. For the Kiwis, Ben Lister picked three wickets and was supported by Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell Santner, and Adithya Ashok – all of whom picked one wicket apiece ensuring that the UAE never got ahead in the game.
UAE struggled from the very beginning while chasing down a moderate target of 167. The hosts failed to make a mark with the bat. Batting heroes from the previous game, Muhammad Waseem and Asif Khan got out cheaply, while Aryansh Sharma and Vriitya Aravind could not convert their starts.
With the series on the line and a mountain to climb, the end-result was always going to be inevitable. UAE lost half their side inside the first 10 overs, thanks to some disciplined bowling by the Kiwi bowlers. With a long tail and all batters back in the pavilion, there was always going to be one winner only.
For UAE, only Aayan Afzal Khan and Basil Hameed showed some resistance. The two batters added 68 runs for the sixth wicket, with Aayan scoring 42 off 36 and Basil scoring 24 off 28.
Earlier in the day, New Zealand were put in to bat first by the UAE on a fresh wicket that offered more stroke-play to the batters here on a hot Sunday night with crowds in big numbers. The visitors made three changes and brought in two debutants – Dean Foxcroft and Adithya, and the experienced Will Young. UAE, on the other hand, made only one change and brought Junaid Siddique back in place of Ali Naseer who had proved to be costly in the last game.
Muhammad Jawadullah and Aayan Afzal Khan opened the bowling once again and bowled tight lines and lengths but it was Junaid who shone once again with the ball for the hosts. He should have picked four wickets for 26 runs, had it not been for an umpiring blunder that robbed him off of a well-deserved 4-wicket haul.
With the Kiwis openers failing yet again, it was Mark Chapman who had to rescue his team out of trouble for third consecutive time. The incoming Will Young also played brilliantly with both of them registering 50-plus scores. At one stage, it looked like the Kiwis would post a 180-plus total, however, the UAE bowlers did not let the well-settled Chapman and Young to flex their arms. They kept taking wickets at regular intervals and restricted the Kiwis to 166/5.
Will Young was named the Player of the Match for his 56 off 46. Chapman was declared the Player of the Series for his handy contributions in all three games.
UAE walked into this series, hoping to steal a moment or two of pure joy and glory. That they ended up winning a game against the T20 World Cup 2021 finalists and the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinalists – New Zealand, should give them a lot of hope and confidence.