Naveed, the shining light for Associates
sharjah — He may have been gutted to see his team — the Bengal Tigers being denied a semifinal berth by Carlos Brathwaite and the Punjabi Legends, but the UAE’s very own Mohammed Naveed can look back and be proud of what he has achieved over the three days in the T10 League.
The pacer finished up with three wickets and a vital 11 not out, a match-winning six to boot, against, ironically, the Punjabi Legends. Credit must be rightly given to the Bengal Tigers team management for trusting him and sticking by Naveed, a cricketer from an Associate country.
Opportunities are zilch or one for players from Associate nations in the different Leagues. UAE’s Chirag Suri did get a gig with the Gujarat Lions in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but the youngster didn’t get to play a single game. The franchise cannot be faulted for not including him considering the competition for places in what has gone on to become an elite League.
But then, having said that, the Bengal Tigers as well as Shaji Ul Mulk, whose brainchild cricket’s newest format is, must be commended for including UAE cricketers and providing them a platform. The Bengal Tigers, who have their roots here, and Shaji Ul Mulk have the interests of UAE cricket at their heart.
Other UAE cricketers across the five franchises include Rameez Shahzad, who is part of the Bengal Tigers, UAE captain Rohan Mustafa and Imran Haider, who are a part of the Kerala Kings, Shaiman Anwar and Zahoor Khan with the Maratha Arabians, Amjad Javed and Saqlain Haider with the Pakhtoons and Sharif Asadullah with the Punjabi Legends.
Returning to Naveed, the 30-year-old added Brathwaite and former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi to his illustrious list of scalps. In fact, his fiery delivery had Afridi’s middle stump in half. During the World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand in 2015, Naveed had taken the wicket of Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan, Pakistan’s Haris Sohail, and a trio of South African wickets — those of Hashim Amla, David Miller and JP Duminy.