Mustafa hopes for more opportunities
sharjah — UAE captain Rohan Mustafa has come back better from the experience but felt that they could do with more opportunities to showcase themselves in the future.
Mustafa was among a number of UAE players who figured in the brand new T10 League and it was the very first time that there was sizeable presence in a League.
And Mustafa, who played in all the five fixtures, including the final against the Punjabi Legends, said that more chances will help them.
“It was good to be a part of the Kerala Kings. It was a good experience. Eoin Morgan played a brilliant innings. He has been my favourite player since childhood,” Mustafa said after the Kerala Kings because the first ever champions of the League.
“When you are batting at No.6 or 7 in a T10, you don’t get that many opportunities to bat. But it was a learning experience for me to be among such top quality players. I’m very excited and can’t wait for next season,” he added.
Mustafa said players from Associate nations do have qualities to get noticed and gave the example of Ireland’s Paul Stirling, who shone right through the tournament.
“Paul Stirling did a great job and he was from an Associate nation a month ago. So, I think they should trust us and give us opportunities so that we can showcase ourselves. It is not their mistake because we didn’t get to practice much so they didn’t know much about us. If we get more time, the will get to know us,” felt Mustafa.
With the Kerala Kings batting line-up firing right through, Mustafa didn’t many chances but when he did get to bat in the semifinals against the Maratha Arabians, he steered the Kerala Kings into the final, with a boundary.
“We had lot a few wickets and I managed to score a boundary. My experience with the UAE helped me and I wasn’t nervous at that point. So, we managed to chase it down,” he said.
Mustafa was also happy for his UAE teammates — pacers Mohammad Naveed and Zahoor Khan, who did well for the Bengal Tigers and the Maratha Arabians respectively.
“I think UAE cricketers have done well to attract the attention of T20 Leagues. It was a good experience for everyone. Mohammed Naveed and Zahoor Khan bowled really well. The UAE players can take a lot of confidence from this. These experiences will help UAE cricket. But I do hope that we get more chances. I think they should trust us more and give us more chances,” said Mustafa.
“As a captain myself, I will take confidence from here. It was good to watch and learn from Morgan and the others about captaincy. We have a few tournaments coming up and hopefully it will help me become a better captain,” he added.