Mustafa, Anwar star in UAE's win over Oman

ABU DHABI - Mustafa used his off-breaks to good effect to snap up three wickets and the 27-year-old then coshed 41 after he had strode out to open the UAE innings.

 The UAE may still be trying to find their feet when it comes to four-day cricket but the shortest format of the game is a different ball game altogether. Having played ample Twenty20 cricket on the circuit, it is a format that the UAE team players feel at home, like a fish takes to water.
And a transitional UAE side showed they are on the right path with a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Oman in a one-off T20 International at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
It was a mix of youth and experience which got them over the line. Rohan Mustafa was instrumental in setting up the win, starring with both ball and bat, while veteran Shaiman Anwar, who once led the batting charts at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, once again impressed with his batting.
Mustafa used his off-breaks to good effect to snap up three wickets and the 27-year-old then coshed 41 after he had strode out to open the UAE innings.
The 36-year-old Shaiman Anwar, who came at one-down, was the top scorer in the match with his 54 being a blend of calculated risk as well as patience.
Oman had defeated Hong Kong by six wickets on Saturday but didn't have enough time to savour that win.
UAE coach Aaqib Javed handed T20 debuts to opener Amjad Gul, medium pacer Qadeer Ahmed and leg spinner Zaheer Maqsood as they put the opposition in first after winning the toss.
Oman made 133 for the loss of eight wickets with opener Zeeshan Maqsood scoring 44 from 34 balls with seven boundaries.
The southpaw, playing his second T20 International, was involved in three partnerships - with fellow opener Aaqib Sulehri, Khawar Ali and Adnan Ilyas. He added 25, 39 and 33 with them respectively before falling victim to UAE left-arm medium pacer Manjula Guruge.
The 34-year-old Guruge also removed Ilyas to end up with two for 22, while Mustafa accounted for Sulehri, Mehran Khan and Sultan Ahmed to finish with impressive figures of 4-2-9-3. Debutant Qadeer Ahmed took one for 38.
And the UAE went about the chase with Mustafa and debutant opener Amjad Gul putting on 34 for the first wicket. Mustafa and Anwar then added 50 for the second wicket after which the former was caught by Bilal Khan off Zeeshan Maqsood.
Anwar then strung together 47 in the company of Mohammad Shahzad before Bilal Khan took his second catch, this time off Rajeshkumar Ranpura.
Shahzad and Amjad Ali then took UAE home with 10 balls to spare. The UAE will get some much-needed experience and exposure when they play England in a T20 International at the same venue on Monday. Young medium pacer Yodhin Punja, who missed the game against Oman, is expected to line-up against the Englishmen.
England are using the fixture, to be played under lights, as a warm-up for three T20 Internationals against Pakistan.
james@khaleejtimes.com