UAE Eye Historic Win Against New Zealand in T20 World Cup

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will look to recreate a historic moment when they take on New Zealand in a Group D match of the T20 World Cup on Tuesday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

UAE last defeated New Zealand in 2003 in a memorable match played in Dubai. While the challenge is tougher this time, UAE captain Muhammad Waseem believes his team is well prepared.

“Our strategy is to keep things simple,” Waseem said on Monday. “We have beaten New Zealand before, but this is a different venue, a different tournament, and a different situation. We respect them as a strong and experienced side, but we have our own plans.”

The UAE team has shown strong form in recent months. They won a bilateral T20I series against Bangladesh and put up a competitive performance against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. However, their World Cup build-up suffered a setback after losses in warm-up matches against Nepal and Italy.

Despite those defeats, Waseem remains confident. He said the team has trained hard and learned important lessons, especially in batting and fielding.

“The ground here is bigger, so running between the wickets will be very important,” he explained. “Turning doubles into singles, batting deeper, and finishing well in the final overs will be key for us.”

Waseem also praised the impact of the ILT20 league on UAE players. He said playing alongside international stars like Kieron Pollard and Nicholas Pooran helped boost confidence and experience within the squad.

Another positive for UAE is head coach Lalchand Rajput, a former India international. According to Waseem, Rajput’s deep understanding of Indian conditions could play an important role in Chennai.

“Our coach knows these conditions very well and has guided us accordingly,” Waseem said. “We are confident and ready for the challenge.”