Naveed cherishes claiming Ian Bell's wicket

Denzil Pinto 01:08 15/03/2017
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  • Thumbs up: Naveed (l) with Sammy

    UAE’s Mohammed Naveed has described the dismissal of Ian Bell as among his best wickets so far and says he will cherish the memories of the Hong Kong T20 Blitz.

    The 29-year-old represented the Hung Hom JD Jaguars in the annual competition last weekend and although his team failed to reach the final, the pacer made a big impact with the ball with five scalps.

    On his list of victims was former England international Bell with Naveed needing just the second over to trap the batsman for just five runs against Hong Kong Island United in the first game.

    The umpire’s decision to raise his finger left Naveed in delight and the UAE international insists he will not forget the moment.

    “I just played the ball with pace and luckily for me, Bell did not read the delivery well and was out for LBW,” said the UBL player.

    “It was a real joy for me to take his wicket because you just have to look how many matches he’s played for England and what he’s achieved.

    “He’s won the Ashes and was one of England’s best batsmen. It’s right up there among the best wickets of my career,” he added, who has dismissed Shikhar Dhawan  and Hashim Amla during his career.

    This year’s tournament saw a stellar field with Pakistan Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, World Cup T20 winner Marlon Samuels and Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara all featuring.

    For Naveed, he shared the same dressing room with West Indies Darren Sammy, former South African international Johan Botha and New Zealand’s James Franklin.

    And the opportunity to test himself against the world’s best was one he cherished.

    “It was great to be around these big players, not just team-mates but against opposition. It was a great learning experience as I got tips on how to bowl and field from them.”

    His biggest fan was Sammy, who took to social media to hail the UAE player. “He is a very good cricketer from UAE and I urge everyone to look out for this cricketer,” he said.

    “Somebody needs to help him get into leagues so you can see his talent. He is extremely talented.” Responding to his comments, Naveed said: “He’s a great man and I hope to play in more global T20 tournaments because the Blitz was all of the highest quality.”

    He added: “I want to thank UBL and Emirates Cricket Board for their support in making this happen for me.”

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