Muhammad Waseem
82 vs Bangladesh
second T20I, Sharjah
Waseem has been at the forefront of UAE's rise in the Associate world, and he was at it again, this time against Bangladesh. Having lost the opening T20I of the series in their pursuit of 192, UAE were asked to chase 14 more in the second game. But Waseem, the captain, and Muhammad Zohaib gave the hosts a solid start, adding 107 for the opening wicket in 61 balls. Waseem raced to his half-century in 25 balls and, even when Zohaib fell, he rattled along. He was as brutal against pace as spin, smashing nine fours and five sixes in his 42-ball 82. UAE lost their way a touch once Waseem was dismissed, but eventually got over the line in a last-over thriller, defeating Bangladesh for the first time in their history.
82 vs Bangladesh
second T20I, Sharjah
Waseem has been at the forefront of UAE's rise in the Associate world, and he was at it again, this time against Bangladesh. Having lost the opening T20I of the series in their pursuit of 192, UAE were asked to chase 14 more in the second game. But Waseem, the captain, and Muhammad Zohaib gave the hosts a solid start, adding 107 for the opening wicket in 61 balls. Waseem raced to his half-century in 25 balls and, even when Zohaib fell, he rattled along. He was as brutal against pace as spin, smashing nine fours and five sixes in his 42-ball 82. UAE lost their way a touch once Waseem was dismissed, but eventually got over the line in a last-over thriller, defeating Bangladesh for the first time in their history.
Alishan Sharafu
68 not out vs Bangladesh
third T20I, Sharjah
Waseem's 82 helped UAE level the series against Bangladesh, but Sharafu's unbeaten half-century in the third gave them a historic 2-1 series win. It was a composed innings from the UAE No. 3, who held the chase together. After restricting Bangladesh to 162, UAE lost captain Waseem early. Zohaib and Sharafu stitched a brief second-wicket stand but UAE lost two wickets quickly, slipping to 79 for 3 in the 11th over. Sharafu, however, remained a calming presence. He reached his half-century with a six off legspinner Rishad Hossain before helping UAE close the win on the first ball of the final over with a four through covers.
68 not out vs Bangladesh
third T20I, Sharjah
Waseem's 82 helped UAE level the series against Bangladesh, but Sharafu's unbeaten half-century in the third gave them a historic 2-1 series win. It was a composed innings from the UAE No. 3, who held the chase together. After restricting Bangladesh to 162, UAE lost captain Waseem early. Zohaib and Sharafu stitched a brief second-wicket stand but UAE lost two wickets quickly, slipping to 79 for 3 in the 11th over. Sharafu, however, remained a calming presence. He reached his half-century with a six off legspinner Rishad Hossain before helping UAE close the win on the first ball of the final over with a four through covers.
George Munsey
191 vs Netherlands
Men's Cricket World Cup League 2, Dundee
Munsey played the innings of a lifetime against Netherlands, smashing an epic 191 off just 150 balls. Batting first, the Scotland opener was in his element from the get-go, hitting Vivian Kingma for a four off first ball of the game as he paced his innings with precision. Munsey reached his fifty off 54 balls, his century off 95, before breaking loose. He smashed Netherlands allrounder Roelof van der Merwe for a four and two sixes in the 42nd over and raced to 150 off 132 balls. By the time Munsey fell in the 49th over, for the highest score ever by an Associate batter in ODIs, Scotland had breached 360. He hit 14 fours and 11 sixes in his knock, but as it turned out, it wasn't enough.
191 vs Netherlands
Men's Cricket World Cup League 2, Dundee
Munsey played the innings of a lifetime against Netherlands, smashing an epic 191 off just 150 balls. Batting first, the Scotland opener was in his element from the get-go, hitting Vivian Kingma for a four off first ball of the game as he paced his innings with precision. Munsey reached his fifty off 54 balls, his century off 95, before breaking loose. He smashed Netherlands allrounder Roelof van der Merwe for a four and two sixes in the 42nd over and raced to 150 off 132 balls. By the time Munsey fell in the 49th over, for the highest score ever by an Associate batter in ODIs, Scotland had breached 360. He hit 14 fours and 11 sixes in his knock, but as it turned out, it wasn't enough.
A major reason why Munsey's 191 was in vain was because of Netherlands opener O'Dowd playing a memorable innings of his own to help his side ace the third-highest successful chase in ODIs. O'Dowd smashed an unbeaten 158 off just 130 balls, his innings studded with 13 fours and four sixes, sparing no Scotland bowler. He took 43 balls to reach his fifty and notched up a century in 94 balls, ensuring the required rate never got out of hand. Unlike Munsey, O'Dowd got excellent support from the middle order, but it was fitting that he was the one to hit the winning runs, a six off Safyaan Sharif, to help Netherlands chase down 370 with four balls to spare.
Aasif Sheikh
68 not out vs West Indies
second T20I, Sharjah
An innings that sent shockwaves around the cricket world, further accentuating Nepal's rise in the game. Having beaten West Indies in the opening game, Nepal were out to win the series. They batted first and opener Aasif Sheikh held the innings together with a measured half-century, keeping the score moving at his end even as Kushal Bhurtel and Rohit Paudel fell fairly quickly. Aasif got going with a neat tickle off his pads before striking Jason Holder for a four in the fifth over and then going after left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein for three fours in the sixth. He reached his fifty off 34 balls and formed a century partnership with Sundeep Jora as Nepal pushed ahead to post 173. Aasif's 68 included eight fours and two sixes. The bowlers then skittled West Indies for 83, setting up a historic series win for Nepal.
68 not out vs West Indies
second T20I, Sharjah
An innings that sent shockwaves around the cricket world, further accentuating Nepal's rise in the game. Having beaten West Indies in the opening game, Nepal were out to win the series. They batted first and opener Aasif Sheikh held the innings together with a measured half-century, keeping the score moving at his end even as Kushal Bhurtel and Rohit Paudel fell fairly quickly. Aasif got going with a neat tickle off his pads before striking Jason Holder for a four in the fifth over and then going after left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein for three fours in the sixth. He reached his fifty off 34 balls and formed a century partnership with Sundeep Jora as Nepal pushed ahead to post 173. Aasif's 68 included eight fours and two sixes. The bowlers then skittled West Indies for 83, setting up a historic series win for Nepal.