A proud moment for me, Waseem says after winning Best UAE Player award for fourth time

Dubai: Muhammad Waseem of MI Emirates clinched the ILT20 Blue Belt for Best UAE Player for a fourth consecutive season after amassing 370 runs in Season 4.

The UAE captain expressed his delight at receiving the honour once again. “Winning the belt for four years is a proud moment for me and my family. I am very happy about it,” he said.

MI Emirates, however, endured disappointment in the final, going down to Desert Vipers by 46 runs at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.

“It’s part of the game. We couldn’t win the final,” Waseem reflected. “I think our fielding wasn’t good, and we ended up chasing 20—25 extra runs. As a batting unit, we didn’t get a good start in the powerplay and lost three wickets, which cost us the game. Overall, the season was very good.”

Looking back at Season 4 of the league, Waseem felt it was the most competitive yet. “This season was better than the last three. The cricket was very competitive and it was fun playing against different players. When players perform, it becomes easier for them to be noticed by other leagues. I’m happy for the boys who performed well — we enjoyed it a lot.”

He also spoke proudly about representing MI Emirates. “Being part of MI Emirates is a proud moment for me. It’s a great franchise and the biggest in T20 cricket. The environment, the captain, the staff — everything is excellent and it’s a lot of fun. We were unlucky not to win the trophy this time, but next year we will try our best to bring it home.”