UAE skipper Mohammad Tauqir unfazed over taking on star-studded Team India
Mohd Tauqir
Perth: United Arab Emirates captain Mohammad Tauqir is unfazed by the superstar-ridden Indian cricket team. Same is the case with his team.
“We know they (Indian cricketers) are big stars, but we will take this game just like the previous two games. We will not be intimidated by their names or status,” Tauqir said during the pre-match press conference at the WACA here yesterday.
UAE’s only World Cup win came against the Netherlands in the 1996 edition. This is UAE’s second stint in the quadrennial event and they’ve had a couple of close encounters before getting here. That has given the skipper some confidence too.
UAE cricketers during a training session at the WACA yesterday. Pic/AFP
“The Zimbabwe game was close (lost by four wickets with 12 balls remaining). The Ireland game was even closer (lost by two wickets with four balls remaining), so we are getting closer to a win. We know we’re playing well.
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Mohd Tauqir
Calm and confident
“Everybody is calm. We are not getting emotional about the situation. We are taking it easy, sticking to our basics and enjoying the game,” added Tauqir (43), who is ironically a year elder to his team’s chief coach — former Pakistan pacer Aaqib Javed (42).
Tauqir threw his weight behind his middle-order, particularly Shaiman Anwar, who scripted history by becoming the first UAE player to score a World Cup century (106 off 83 balls against Ireland on Wednesday).
“We need to turn the 30s and 40s into bigger scores, and Shaiman has shown us that in the last game. Maybe, there’s a little lapse of concentration in the middle, but we know our middle-order can put up bigger scores and this is what we chatted about in the dressing room,” said Tauqir.
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