DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have won the toss and elected to field first in the second T20I of the three-match series against New Zealand.
PLAYING XIs
UAE: Muhammad Waseem (c), Aryansh Sharma (wk), Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Ansh Tandon, Basil Hameed, Ali Naseer, Aayan Khan, Mohammed Faraazuddin, Muhammad Jawadullah, Zahoor Khan.
New Zealand: Tim Seifert, Chad Bowes, Dane Cleaver (wk), Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, James Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Cole McConchie, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee (c), Ben Lister.
HEAD TO HEAD
Matches 1, New Zealand 1, UAE 0
Notably, New Zealand lead the three-match series 1-0 after a sensational five-wicket haul by their captain Tim Southee led them to a narrow 19-run victory in the first T20I.
Chasing 156, the home side fell just 19 runs short and were bundled out for 136 despite Aryansh Sharma’s brisk half-century.
The UAE were in command midway through the pursuit as they were 84/3 with Sharma and Ansh Tandon at the crease.
However, the wickets kept tumbling at an alarming rate and they were consequently bowled out in the final over.
Sharma waged a lone battle for the hosts with a 43-ball 60, laced up with nine boundaries and a six.
Besides him, the next best run-getters for the UAE were Ali Naseer (16) while Asif Khan and Vriitya Arvind scored 13 each.
However, six of their batters failed to make it into the double figures.
New Zealand captain Tim Southee returned astonishing figures of 5/25, followed by two each by James Neesham and Mitchell Santner.
Put into bat first, New Zealand registered a commendable total of 155/6 on the board at the back of a quickfire 55-run knock by Tim Seifert.
Seifert recovered New Zealand from an early blow after Junaid Siddique dismissed Chad Bowes on the first delivery of the innings.
He then knitted a 51-run partnership with Dane Cleaver (4) before both perished in quick successions to leave New Zealand reeling at 60/3 in the eighth over.
Seifert remained the top-scorer for New Zealand with a 34-ball 55, laced up with two boundaries and three sixes.
New Zealand then lost three more wickets at regular intervals and had slipped to 109/6 in 15.2 overs before Cole McConchie and Rachin Ravindra added vital runs at the death.
McConchie played an unbeaten cameo of 31 in 24 deliveries while Ravindra made a brisk 11-ball 21.
For the UAE, Basil Hameed and Junaid Siddique bagged two wickets each while Mohammed Faraazuddin made one scalp each.