Mustafa an example of the Javed legacy for UAE Cricket

Denzil Pinto 21:23 31/05/2016
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  • Rohan Mustafa has scored six half-centuries for Unicon and Alubond Tigers.

    Former Pakistani bowler Aaqib Javed ended his four-year stint of the national team on Tuesday and leaves them in good stead for the future having developed and worked with a number of talented players during that period.

    One, is Rohan Mustafa with the all-rounder being in fine form with the bat and ball both domestically and on the international stage in what has been a memorable year for the 27-year-old.

    His feats include six half-centuries and one ton for Unicon and Alubond Tigers, as well as getting his hands on the prestigious UBL Twenty20 trophy for the latter in Abu Dhabi.

    Donning the national colours, Mustafa has gradually grown to become a key player for the UAE.

    His potential was there to see during the Asia Cup qualifier against Afghanistan in Bangladesh where he stole the show with a 77-run knock and a three-wicket haul in the 16-run triumph.

    It’s a vast improvement for the Pakistan-born cricketer who despite making his international debut in 2007, was in and out of the UAE squad.

    A member of last year’s World Cup party in Australia and New Zealand, Mustafa had initially been overlooked for the 2016 World Twenty20 qualifiers in Scotland. But an injury to veteran Saqib Ali earned him a place in Javed’s squad although he fared poorly with the bat with just 17 runs and two wickets to his name.

    Eager to rediscover his form, Mustafa seeked advice from Javed and paid tribute to the former UAE coach, who did not take charge of his final training session yesterday due to personal commitments.

    “It was quite hard for me when I first started representing the UAE because I was in and out of the team,” he said, who won the Best Cricketer Award for Dubai Cricket Council at the Shyam Bhatia Awards.

    “But the one thing I learned from him was that he helped me improve my mindset. When we were playing against the stronger teams, he said to me, don’t focus on the movements of the bowler, just focus on the ball because that’s the most important thing. He told me to look at things differently when approaching games because the mindset is important in sport.

    “I stuck to that advice and the results were there to see especially in the Afghanistan win in the Asia Cup and during my domestic games and that is something I’m grateful for. He really spent a lot of time not just with me but with other players on how to improve. I consider him as a friend and not a coach.”

    The Emirates Cricket Board are still searching for Javed’s successor but Mustafa insists whichever man comes in, the team are eager to achieve more success.

    “We will continue working hard. Of course, everyone has their own way of working with players but we’ll be ready to give our best for the new coach.”

    Batsman Rameez Shahzad, who will qualify to represent the UAE later this year, after completing the four-years residency requirement, lauded Javed’s contribution but said the team must move on.

    “When he first came here, cricket in the UAE wasn’t in the best of conditions but now our status has now gone up in the world and that’s a credit to him,” he said.

    “He has changed the UAE squad mentally and has made us a formidable force.

    “It’s sad to see him go but we’ll continue to strive and work hard and we are looking forward to working with the new coach. It’s going to be different not having him around because he has really good coaching qualities. For sure we’ll miss him because you can say that he’s our friend.”

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