ILT20: Muhammad Waseem’s sterling knock takes MI Emirates past Sharjah Warriors

UAE’s Muhammad Waseem, displaying his wide repertoire of aggressive strokes, produced a spectacular knock of 71 runs and steered MI Emirates to a 49 runs win over Sharjah Warriors in the second match of the ILT20 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Saturday night. He was backed by Nicholas Pooran’s 49 to help MI Emirates post a whopping total of 204 for 5 in 20 overs.

Waseem, who has been a consistent performer in franchise league matches and for the UAE team, made the home fans proud through his knock that came off 39 balls with five boundaries and four sixes. Pooran’s 49 was scored off 30 balls with four sixes and two boundaries.

Sharjah Warriors wilted under the pressure of MI Emirates’ mammoth score. They had won the toss and elected to bowl. Waseem, opening with England’s Will Smeed, hit back-to-back boundaries off Naveen Ul Haq, who bowled the second over. Waseem also hit Chris Woakes’ first delivery of the third over past square leg for another boundary. Off the third ball of that over, Woakes forced Smeed to top edge to wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 2.

Andre Fletcher joined Waseem and hit UAE’s Junaid Siddiqui’s fifth delivery of the fourth over for a six to mid-wicket. The first five overs produced 39 runs. Fletcher accelerated the run flow in the sixth over hitting Siddiqui for three successive boundaries. This took the score past the 50 run mark too. Waseem also hit UAE’s Karthik Meiyappan for a six over long-on. Woakes picked his second wicket forcing Fletcher to edge to wicketkeeper Gurbaz for 22. The pair had put on 47 runs for the second wicket.

Muhammad Waseem didn’t hold back in hitting the ball out of the park!