New Delhi, Feb 13 (NationPress) UAE captain Muhammad Waseem commended his team's determination and spirit following their remarkable five-wicket victory over Canada in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Waseem emphasized the necessity for enhancements in their batting during the middle overs. During the match held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Friday, Aryansh Sharma scored 74 not out and Sohaib Khan contributed 51 runs, guiding UAE to successfully chase down a target of 151 with two balls to spare.

“Honestly, the situation was straightforward. I went into the break and encouraged them (Aryansh and Sohaib) to maintain their confidence. They demonstrated their talent to the world, and their performance fills me with joy,” Waseem remarked after the game.

He admitted the team must refine their strategy between the 7th and 16th overs. “We need to enhance our batting during the middle overs, particularly from the 7th to the 16th over. We must address this phase. Inshallah, we will work on it for the upcoming matches since it's a crucial segment of the game where improvement is essential,” he stated.

Waseem also praised pacer Junaid Siddique, who achieved figures of 5-35, aiding in limiting Canada to 150 runs. “I am extremely pleased for him. He is an experienced bowler and the leader of our bowling unit. Achieving five wickets today is impressive, and I believe he will carry this momentum into the forthcoming matches,” he commented.

Siddique, who was named Player of the Match, shared that he collaborated closely with the coaches to adjust to the playing conditions. “The pitch was favorable. We worked with our coaches on effective bowling strategies in these conditions. My goal was to hit hard lengths while mixing in slower deliveries. I aimed to bowl a few quicker balls before executing my best slower balls,” he explained.

Reflecting on Canada’s innings, Siddique mentioned, “Initially, we anticipated they might score 160 or 170. However, we bowled exceptionally well in the concluding overs, realizing that 150 was a manageable target.”

Canada's captain Dilpreet Bajwa acknowledged the contributions of Aryansh and Sohaib, stating, “We were hoping for a score of 160 or 170, but after losing early wickets, we were satisfied with 150. We recognized it would be a challenging total to chase in the second innings, but Sohaib and Aryansh performed remarkably. The dew factor always aids in chasing; we didn’t foresee it affecting the game here, but it helped as the ball didn’t spin as much.”

When questioned about where Canada faltered, Bajwa responded, “While we were taking wickets, we failed to sustain our momentum. That’s where we fell short. Our fast bowlers strayed from their plans, which ultimately cost us the match. Our spinners and middle order are performing well, and we just need our top order to score runs and for our fast bowlers to regain their lines.”