Mufti: family commitments meant I had to quit UAE contract
Adnan Mufti said he “looked at every possibility” of continuing his international career, before resigning from his UAE contract and moving to the UK instead.
The left-handed batsman has been a mainstay of the national team for the past two years. He signed a two-year central contract with the Emirates Cricket Board in October. However, family commitments have led him to retire from playing for the national team, and relocate to the west of England instead.
“To play international cricket is a dream of every cricketer,” said Mufti, who turns 34 later this month.
“When I got the chance to play back in 2016, it was a big honour for me. This was a very big decision for me and my family to move away from UAE cricket.
“We have tried every option to stay in touch with UAE cricket, but I’m afraid it’s not possible. I am missing UAE cricket every day.”
Mufti hopes to continue playing as a club professional, and work as a coach, in the UK, but he acknowledges he has unfinished business with his former team.
“Now the UAE team is one of the best Associate teams in the world,” Mufti said.
“We have been growing every day. When Dougie [Brown, the coach] joined we started a journey to become the best Associate team by the end of 2019.
“It meant a great deal for me to join the team. There are so many things I wanted to do. I wanted to get an ODI hundred at some stage. I wanted to establish myself as the best No 7 finisher in Associate cricket. I have already done that to some extent, but I wanted to do more performances in this position for UAE. Unfortunately, I have to move on.”
The side he left behind had a frustrating end to 2018, after exiting the Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Pakistan on Sunday.
A brief rain shower left the pitch unplayable in their final pool match against Hong Kong.
A win would likely have earned them a trip to Sri Lanka for the knockout stage.
In the immediate aftermath, several UAE players took to social media to criticise the organisers and the facilities at the ground in Karachi.
However, each deleted their posts, and Rohan Mustafa, the captain, said sorry on behalf of the upset players.
“As captain of @EmiratesCricket I would like to apologise to everyone in Pakistan for our frustrated tweets after yesterday’s match,” Mustafa wrote.
“[The Pakistan Cricket Board and Asian Cricket Council] have gone above and beyond to make our visit to Pakistan a very special one.”
India crushed a lower-order insurrection to secure a nerve-jangling 31-run victory in the first Test against Australia yesterday, raising hopes of a breakthrough series win for the visitors down under.
The tourists had to work hard to remove Australia’s last four batsmen on the final day at Adelaide Oval but broke through at the end of an extended middle session to send India’s travelling fans into raptures.
Faced with a docile wicket and tenacious tail-end slogging, Virat Kohli’s team bowled with patience and determination to claim India’s first win in the country since Anil Kumble’s men beat a Ricky Ponting-led Australia by 72 runs in Perth in 2008.
It was also India’s first win in a Test series-opener in Australia and they will head to Perth for the second of the four matches full of confidence.
“Obviously it’s a great feeling, we’ve never taken a lead in a series in Australia,” said Kohli, who scored back-to-back centuries in a 48-run loss in Adelaide during the 2014/15 tour. “I think our fast bowlers came in and bowled with great heart but we knew [Australia] were not going to throw in the towel.”
Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took the final wicket of Josh Hazlewood for 13 to dismiss Australia for 291, with Nathan Lyon unbeaten on 38 in a valiant chase of 323.
After suffering defeat in their first home Test without the suspended Steve Smith and David Warner, Tim Paine’s Australia will go into the second match with batting worries confirmed.
On a pitch that presented few demons, only two home batsmen managed scores above 50 across the match, with a majority of victims falling due to poor shot selection.
“It’s pretty shattering,” Paine said. “Really proud of the fight of the lower order but I think over the five days we had a number of opportunities to get ahead of the game but failed to capitalise on any of them and India thoroughly deserved to win.”
Kohli’s side banked 123 and 71 from man of the match Cheteshwar Pujara, while Ajinkya Rahane chipped in with 70 in the second innings after starting poorly against a world-class seam attack.
India have been excited by their own pace bowlers and they delivered when it counted.
Mohammed Shami had 3-65 in the second innings and Jasprit Bumrah (3-68) made key breakthroughs on Day 5. Ishant Sharma started the ball rolling by taking Travis Head’s wicket for 14 yesterday morning.
It’s pretty shattering. We had a number of opportunities to get ahead of the game but failed to capitalise TIM PAINE Australia captain
Under pressure after a dreadful run of scores, Shaun Marsh was removed by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant for 60, leaving wicketkeeper Paine and tailender Pat Cummins to scrap desperately to lunch.
Paine had treatment for a hand injury before the break and was out slogging for 41 soon after before Mitchell Starc kept the terraces entertained with a typically swashbuckling innings of 28. Mohammed Shami broke through to remove Starc, with Pant catching the edge to equal the world record of 11 dismissals shared by AB De Villiers and Jack Russell. Pant dropped a diving, one-handed chance that would have given him sole possession of the record when Bumrah coaxed a nick off Cummins (28).
But the Indian bowler got Cummins eventually, with an edge flying to Kohli in the slips.
No team had scored more than 315 runs in a successful run chase at Adelaide Oval but Lyon and Hazlewood kept the crowd entertained in a final 32run stand before falling short.