The UAE’s stunning victory in a last-over T20 thriller against Bangladesh, a Test-playing team, has made headlines across the cricketing world on Tuesday.

It was indeed a stupendous performance as the UAE became the first associate member of the ICC (International Cricket Council) to chase down a 200-plus total against a full member country.

But what has escaped the attention of almost everyone is the backstory of the two protagonists — skipper Muhammad Waseem and left-arm pace Muhammad Jawadullah.

Having lost the first match of the series by 27 runs on Saturday at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, the UAE were under huge pressure to put up a fight after Bangladesh made 205 for five in 20 overs.

Skipper Waseem, 31, an aggressive opening batter, threw caution to the wind with a belligerent knock, scoring 82 off just 42 balls (nine fours and five sixes).

His dismissal in the 15th over sparked a batting collapse but some smart shot-making from the lower-order eventually dragged the team over the line for a famous two-wicket win and set up a mouthwatering decider on Wednesday.

Jawadullah, 26, had earlier taken three wickets to continue the momentum following his magnificent four-wicket spell in the opening match.

Muhammad Jawadullah

The UAE not only recorded a memorable win on Sunday, but they now have a chance to clinch a historic series win over Bangladesh on Wednesday.

The home team find themselves in such a strong position thanks to the consistent efforts from Waseem, the top-scorer of the series with 136 runs, and Jawadullah, who is leading the bowling charts with seven wickets.

Remarkably, neither of these players had left their native Pakistan for the UAE to become professional cricketers.

And none of them had played any serious cricket back home.

While Waseem’s cricketing CV included a few district-level club matches in Pakistan, Jawadullah had only played tennis-ball cricket until five years ago.

Waseem arrived in the UAE to work as a sales executive, and Jawadullah was working as an electrician until friends encouraged him to play club cricket in the UAE.

“There is a lot of talent in Pakistan, but most of them do not get an opportunity to play at a decent level because of their financial conditions,” said Tariq Butt, a veteran UAE-based cricket umpire and a former Pakistani first-class player.

“But some of these players, when they arrive in the UAE for a job, get lucky. They are picked by the local clubs who look after them really well.”

Waseem, who featured in the 2022 T20 World Cup for the UAE, is now a prolific scorer in T20 Internationals with 2,651 runs and three hundreds in 71 matches.

But more than the runs, it’s his natural ability to play shots that even impressed Indian batting legend Virender Sehwag.

“There are some very promising players in the UAE, I am especially impressed with Waseem. He is a very good batter, I think he can easily play in major T20 leagues across the world,” Sehwag had told the Khaleej Times in 2023.  

Butt credits the owners of cricket clubs in the UAE for giving players like Waseem and Jawadullah a wonderful opportunity to play and impress the UAE selectors.

“It’s huge to earn praise from a big name like Sehwag. But I must congratulate the club owners here in the UAE, they have done a lot for some of these players. I don’t think these players would have got a chance otherwise,” Butt said.

Sudhakar Shetty, a veteran Dubai-based cricket coach, says such heartwarming stories will inspire a lot of youngsters in the UAE.

“I think Waseem and Jawadullah have proven that anything is possible if you work hard and if you get the opportunity to train under good coaches,” he said.

“What they lacked in Pakistan, they found it here. It’s great for them and it’s great for UAE cricket!”