Amazing Aravind and resurgent Rizwan: talking points from UAE's series in Texas

The UAE maintained their place in third in the Cricket World Cup League 2 table after winning two matches and losing two on their tour of Texas.

That was short of what Ahmed Raza, the side’s captain, has hoped for when the side set out on their 26,000km round trip last week.

Still, though, it represented quite the show of character after their were comfortably beaten in their opening two games, first by Scotland, then hosts United States.

The whistle-stop tour to the other side of the world provided some notable positives for the national team, but threw up some questions, too.

Three times in recent months, Raza has started a post-match presentation by saying about his young batting colleague, Vriitya Aravind: “I’ve run out of superlatives for him.”

This was another tour in which Aravind sealed the player of the series award with some remarkable strokeplay. Just as he did in helping UAE to T20 World Cup qualification earlier in the year.

He made a fifty and then a hundred in the two matches UAE won, and in so doing became just the third teenager to notch two ODI centuries.

He only turns 20 on Saturday. Would it be greedy to think his best could still be ahead of him?

Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan and Ahmed Raza react with frustration after the UAE's appeal against Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer is turned down. Photo: USA Cricket

Since February, Aravind and Chirag Suri have shared three century partnerships in ODI cricket for the UAE, against Oman, Namibia and now United States.

The 125 they shared against the home team in Texas allowed UAE to make light work of what might have been a tricky run chase.

“They complement each other,” Raza said of the top-order duo.

“They run well together, they have complementary games, and