New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) When Canada and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) take the field at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Friday afternoon, the aim for both sides will be very simple — get a win under their belt. Both teams find themselves winless in Group D, and a win will help them get off the mark in the points table.

Canada, smarting from a 57-run hammering at the hands of South Africa, occupies the bottom spot with a net run rate of -2.850. UAE, despite a spirited batting display against New Zealand that yielded their highest-ever T20 World Cup total of 173, sits one rung above them at -2.763 after the Blackcaps cantered to a 10-wicket victory.

Canada’s baptism by fire against South Africa laid bare the chasm between them and the Proteas. Their pacers returned wicketless with an overall economy rate of 11.1 in Ahmedabad. In contrast, the spinners offered some respectability, with left-arm wrist-spinner Ansh Patel, who previously played for Baroda in the Indian domestic cricket ecosystem, emerging as the solitary bright spot by picking three wickets.

Patel’s three-wicket haul — the first such instance recorded by a Canadian bowler in T20 World Cups and his best figures in a young international career – suggested that Canada might find more joy exploiting the traditionally spin-friendly conditions in New Delhi.

With the bat, Navneet Dhaliwal’s 49-ball 64 was a lone hand in a chase that never truly ignited. The experienced campaigner, now Canada’s leading run-scorer in World Cup history with 135 runs, will need support from the middle order if they are to post or chase competitive totals.

Meanwhile, the UAE’s batting performance against New Zealand showcased both ambition and execution, with Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu’s 107-run partnership making for an absolute treat. Both registered fantastic fifties – the first time two UAE batters achieved this feat in a T20 World Cup.

But the gains made from batting were squandered by the bowling unit, as Blackcaps openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen hit them to all parts of Chepauk. UAE became only the third team in the history of the T20 World Cup to bowl an entire innings without claiming a wicket, as all bowlers, barring Haider Ali, went for more than 10 runs per over.

Such generosity cannot be repeated if they harbour ambitions of progressing beyond the group stage. The head-to-head record favours the UAE, who won the only previous T20I encounter against Canada. Neither side has previously played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, removing any advantage of local knowledge, though Canada had practised at the venue, albeit at night.

For Canada, the challenge will be in arresting the momentum of the UAE’s big-hitting top order while hoping their own batting line-up can find the consistency that eluded them against South Africa.

For the UAE, who are also dealing with Muhammad Zohaib being withdrawn from the squad due to player mental well-being and team welfare issues, with Haider Shah joining as a replacement, the bowling unit must discover both discipline and penetration if they are to get off the mark in Group D.

When: Friday, February 13, 3:00 PM IST

Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming

Squads:

Canada: Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dilon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Jaskarandeep Singh, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Shreyas Movva, and Yuvraj Samra

UAE: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Haider Shah, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, and Simranjeet Singh

–IANS

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