Zimbabwe 'surprised' by UAE quality says Sean Williams after nervy World Cup win
'Our fielding wasn’t that great and we were basically waiting for them to get themselves out'
Thursday 19 February 2015 10:41, UK
Zimbabwe’s match-winner Sean Williams admits his side underestimated their opponents after they sneaked to a four-wicket win over the United Arab Emirates in the World Cup.
Having impressed in a 62-run defeat to South Africa in their opening game of the tournament, Zimbabwe were expected to win comfortably in the Pool B clash at Saxton Park in Nelson.
But Williams admits they were surprised by the quality of their opponents after watching videos of their previous games, which led them to believe the UAE’s batting was brittle.
“We didn't know what to expect from them and they put up a really good performance,” he said.
“Our fielding wasn’t that great and we were basically waiting for them to get themselves out but that wasn't the case.
“They actually hit the ball really well down the ground and they hit the ball long.
“Any cricket team on the day, if they get all three departments (batting, bowling and fielding) right, will take a top team right to the end.
“UAE are obviously still learning and so are we. They batted really well but I guess they just need to learn when the key moments are in a game.
Cricket World Cup 2015
“It’s the same with us. We are still learning, trying to understand when key moments are and when to put the foot on the gas.”
Positives
The UAE hit 285-7 from their 50 overs and had Zimbabwe struggling at 167-5 before Williams’ unbeaten 76 from 65 balls won them the match.
It was a defeat that left the UAE captain, Mohammad Tauqir, cursing the missed opportunity to register a World Cup win but he still called for further ODI exposure for his side after such a competitive display.
“We played some good cricket but we were expecting a different result,” said Tauqir. “In the previous game on this wicket we saw that 300 was not enough (when West Indies lost to Ireland).
“We had quite a few positives from the game. The batters batted well and the bowlers did a decent job, but it was definitely an opportunity missed.
“We know our limitations but the more we play at the highest level the more we can improve our cricket.
“The more opportunity given to the associate nations to play with the bigger teams it will help improvement in their game.
“When you play against them you get good exposure. It's good for the improvement of the game at associate level. If we play only at associate level we cannot improve the game.”
Watch highlights of Zimbabwe v UAE on Sky Sports World Cup (channel 403) at 9am, 11am, 3pm, 5pm and 8pm.
