Perth: After the UAE lost to India by nine wickets with 187 balls to spare, a few commented sarcastically that it seemed as if the team forgot they were playing a 50-over World Cup and not a Twenty20 event, since the whole match lasted only around 50 overs. There were also a few others who said the UAE team saved on the organisers’ electricity bill - ending the match within minutes after the floodlights were on!

While it is a fact that the UAE batsmen have not faced such high quality bowling anytime in the recent past, except when they played Australia in a warm-up match, it is unfair to expect their batsmen to start thrashing the Indian bowlers in such a high-profile stage. It was not like playing in Sharjah, Dubai or Abu Dhabi wickets because the wicket at Perth is the world’s fastest and bounciest wicket.

When Gulf News asked opener Amjad Ali, who perished to a hook shot which went off his gloves to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as to where he went wrong, he said: “This pitch had extra bounce but I could not resist playing my favourite shot. Next time I need to watch it even more closely before playing such a shot.”

Whenever Khurram Khan has played the sweep shot in the UAE, he has hardly mistimed it but the fact is that Ravichandran Ashwin’s bowling on Sunday would have troubled even the most experienced batsmen. Some of his deliveries, as UAE skipper Mohammad Tauqir admitted, were unplayable.

It was no surprise that India were too strong for the UAE and such bowling is unfamiliar to them because, as vice-captain Khurram put it: “To expect UAE to beat teams in World Cup after never getting to play big teams or top bowlers in any match outside the World Cup for years is foolhardy.” Incidentally, it is after 19 years the UAE have managed to get a chance to play in the World Cup. So when Tauqir picked the first wicket of this World cup dismissing Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, a Twitter joke that floated around said: “UAE get their first World Cup wicket in 19 years.”

It is true that after giving Zimbabwe and Ireland a fright, they could not lift their game against India; but before criticising for being bowled out for 102 it is also important to note that one of the UAE batsmen Shaiman Anwar is the fourth highest rungetter in this World Cup so far. That Anwar, who has thrashed bowlers in the Umm Al Quwain and Al Dhaid Cricket Village cement tracks could do the same in the World Cup too, gives hope to youngsters in UAE.

Before looking at that UAE’s scoreboard against India with contempt, one should take a look at the extras column; you will see that UAE hardly gave away any extras while India conceded 13. The UAE bowlers bowled only one wide - clearly indicating that they fought tooth-and-nail with whatever skills they had acquired hoping to get the best, while fully aware they were bowling against the likes of Rohit Sharma and the world’s most feared batsman Virat Kohli.