Former IPL Batter Akshdeep Nath Shines with Stunning Six-Wicket Haul to Boost UAE's Asia Cup Hopes

After a 15-year career where he had never previously claimed more than three scalps in a single innings, Akshdeep Nath delivered a stunning performance by taking six wickets in just five overs to secure a crucial victory for the UAE in Asia Cup qualifying.

The 33-year-old batter was fast-tracked into the national team earlier this year as part of the initial group of cricketers granted UAE citizenship. The inclusion of the former India Under-19 vice-captain aimed to inject the experience of a lengthy first-class career into the squad and bolster the UAE's batting lineup.

While the team's batting fortunes have improved since his debut in April, Nath made his most striking contribution yet with the ball on Thursday. During the recent tour to Scotland, Nath had demonstrated his utility as a part-time medium-pacer. However, that Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series in Dundee concluded poorly for him when he conceded 29 runs in a single over against Canada tailender Zahid Shirzad.

Currently touring Malaysia to pursue Asia Cup qualification through the 10-team ACC Premier Cup, Nath enjoyed a drastically improved outing with the ball in their second pool match against Kuwait, finishing with figures of 6-21 in five overs. This performance surpassed his previous career-best bowling figures of 3-20 across all senior cricket formats since his debut in 2011, which includes a stint in the Indian Premier League. His spell effectively dashed Kuwait's hopes of chasing their rain-adjusted target, leading the UAE to a 66-run victory.

“We have been working hard with him in terms of bowling, and he was bowling well in the Scotland series,” said Harpreet Bhatia, the UAE captain. “He has played a lot of first-class cricket in India and is an experienced guy. He knows how to bat, how to bowl and how to field, and it is good to see him taking his first five-wicket haul in List A cricket.”

Despite Nath's bowling heroics, the player-of-the-match award went to Mohammed Shahdad. The No 3 batter successfully navigated tricky conditions to score 94 runs from 110 balls, enabling the national team to post 286-8 from their 50 overs.

“The wicket was on the tougher side,” Shahdad noted. “I wanted to spend some time at the crease. Normally on this kind of wicket, where it is doing a bit, and the ball is stopping and turning, and staying low, I like to take my time and build into my innings. I know I can cover up later on in the innings, and luckily I was able to do that today.”

The national team is set to face Singapore in their next group match on Sunday, and captain Harpreet remains optimistic about maintaining their upward trajectory. “I’m really happy particularly with the way Shahdad batted; it is a very good sign for us,” Harpreet stated. “Adeeb Usmani also started really well, but we wanted Tanish Suri to bat a little longer, and hopefully he can do that in the next game. We are still looking to score 325-plus, and maybe we can do that in the next game.”