‘Shattered’ Cremer at pains to explain reversal
As one would expect, the Zimbabweans were ‘shattered’ after what Graeme Cremer, their captain, called a ‘very painful’ defeat to the United Arab Emirates in the penultimate game of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 on Thursday 22 March.
“I feel sorry for them,” said Rohan Mustafa, the UAE captain, after the three-run (DLS method) win for his team that all but took away Zimbabwe’s chances of going to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales, and Cremer seemed at a loss for words to start with when being asked to describe the mood in the dressing room at Harare Sports Club after back-to-back losses to Windies and UAE.
HIGHLIGHTS: UAE defeats Zimbabwe
“It's very painful. We had two bites at getting to the final, and we've stumbled at the last hurdle,” said Cremer. “We were so hungry. The ball was in our court, we just needed to turn up today and play some of our best cricket, then it might have been a different story. The guys are shattered in the change room. I'm sure most Zimbabweans are.”
There was yet another solid turnout on the part of the supporters of the national team. That was expected, seeing that Zimbabwe were around the top of the Super Sixes points table and were playing the bottom-placed team, UAE, who had lost quite convincingly to Scotland and Afghanistan earlier in the script.
For the fans, used to seeing their team at every edition of the World Cup since 1983, it was a bitter pill to swallow, and Cremer acknowledged it. “The fans have been excellent, from Bulawayo to here. They will probably be more disappointed than anyone, because they have turned out and at least expected us to win one of these two games to qualify. So, there was big expectation on us. We're really sad that we couldn't give them what they wanted.”
Batting first, UAE rode on good contributions from Ghulam Shabber (40), Rameez Shahzad (59), Shaiman Anwar (33) and a 10-ball 22* from Mohammad Naveed, the No.9, to get to 235/7 in 47.5 overs when the rain came down. In reply, Zimbabwe were struggling at 45/3 before Sean Williams gave them hope with a run-a-ball 80. In the end, though, Zimbabwe stopped at 226/7 chasing the revised target of 230 from 40 overs.
A passionate home crowd at Harare Sports Club
“I suppose we just lost wickets in crucial periods. Yeah, that was probably it. We had some good partnerships in chasing the score down, but when (Sikandar) Raza got out, when Sean got out, those were crucial periods for us. But take nothing away from UAE. The way they bowled and the way they fielded was excellent,” explained Cremer.
“We backed ourselves that whatever we did, bat or bowl, we will come out on top. We gave them a few too many, and then to only have 40 overs with the bat, that cost us a bit. We'd still back ourselves to chase 230 in 40 overs, but a poor start again. We keep losing wickets in that first Powerplay, which has probably cost us.”
Mohammad Naveed's 3/40 v Zimbabwe at CWCQ
For Mustafa, it was a result the team desperately wanted after having become the first Super Sixes team to lose all chances of getting to the World Cup.
“It’s a great achievement for us. Winning against some Test nation, it’s a first time for the UAE team. No one knows about us, but now I think people will know about us. I feel sorry for them (Zimbabwe) but it’s a part of the game,” he said. “We can take confidence from this match, because we beat such a good team. Zimbabwe is one of the best teams in this tournament, and we beat them. There is a lesson for us, and it will help us.”
WATCH: Highlights from Rameez Shahzad's 59 against Zimbabwe
Making the difference for UAE was Naveed. The paceman showed his abilities with the bat with a frenetic 20-ball 45 in the previous game against Afghanistan and did well again, following up his runs with returns of 3/40, getting rid of openers Solomon Mire and Hamilton Masakadza early.
The other star was Shahzad, who scored 112* against Windies in a group game but missed out on much of the action because of ill health.
“Coming to this tournament, Rameez performed really well and he scored a hundred against West Indies. To be honest, we missed him in a few matches because he was not feeling well,” said Mustafa. “That cost us in the Super Sixes seriously. A few of them were injured, and that cost us. He is one of the best batsmen in UAE and he has shown it today.”