‘Life has come full circle’ for Raza as he leads UAE back to Australia for T20 World Cup

Ahmed Raza fought back tears after becoming the third captain to lead UAE to a World Cup in cricket, pointing out: “The struggle has been real.”

Minutes earlier, the Sharjah-born spin bowler had knelt in prayer after taking his fifth wicket of the T20 World Cup semi-final against Nepal in Muscat.

Moments after that, most of his teammates had been doing the same at various points of the field, after the final wicket had fallen in their 68-run win.

Victory meant the UAE can start booking flights to Australia for the main event in October.

Raza has been there before. For the 2015 World Cup, he went to Perth and Brisbane as a supporter of the UAE team, despite nursing a broken heart over missing out on the squad.

“The struggle has been real,” said Raza, who took 5-19 in the win over Nepal.

“The last time I went to a World Cup was in 2014 [the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh], and I didn’t make it to Australia in 2015. So this was very special and very emotional.

Ahmed Raza with 4 for 13 now. Could not be any more fitting that he is the guy leading this team over the line. Handed the captaincy two and a half years ago with the game in crisis in the UAE. Seemed like a hospital pass. The job he's done turning the side round has been immense

“It was surreal when everything was falling into place for us. I was thinking: the game is not over yet, the game is not over yet. At the back of my mind, I knew it was.

“In that moment, it felt like my life has come full circle now. Last time UAE played, I wasn’t in the squad, but I still went there.

“Life is taking me back there now, hopefully still as captain of UAE. I helped my team to qualify, and there are not many captains who have done that for UAE in the past.

“I feel part of an elite