That they got so close was thanks to debutant Adnan Mufti who registered UAE’s first half-century of the series in a late charge that took his side within reach.
Ultimately the Lions’ total was too much for UAE, but in a year dogged by low scores, and a series epitomised by them, the 31-year-old’s bow was a stark positive.
In the two matches in this series prior to Monday, UAE’s woes with the bat were made painfully clear having been bowled out for 174 in the first fixture and slipping from 63-2 to 90 all-out in the second outing.
The one constant has been opener Rohan Mustafa, who added to his 33 and 45 respectively in the first and second ODIs with a well made 40 from 64 balls in the third.
Those three starts will have encouraged both player and management but the inability of his team-mates to provide support of substance has been of grave concern.
No player other than Mustafa scored more than 40 runs in an innings against England’s next in line, until Mufti’s 69 that took UAE to 207 all-out in their penultimate over.
All over, UAE all-out for 207 and lose by just 16 runs. Mufti last out for 68. Some knock. Lions win series 3-0. pic.twitter.com/hsgE6kcMPE
— Barny Read (@BarnabyRead) December 5, 2016
A Lion himself with Danube domestically, the unearthing of the former Rawalpindi first-class cricketer in his native Pakistan looks a real positive for Shah and his side moving forward.
Earlier, captain Amjad Javed won the toss for the hosts and put the opposition into bat in Dubai, where once again it was hard work for the batsmen on a slow deck.
England did post the highest total of this three-match series with 223-8, Worcestershire’s Joe Clarke (42) and Surrey’s Sam Curran (40) top-scoring for the tourists.
Qadeer Ahmed (3-48) and Mohammad Shahzad (2-54) were the standout bowlers for UAE but the Lions’ total proved too great for UAE despite the late heroics of Mufti.
