More heartbreak for UAE with eight-run defeat to Canada in Cricket World Cup League 2

The UAE’s miserable start to Cricket World Cup League 2 continued as they suffered a third straight defeat at Dubai International Stadium.

It says much about the national team’s frayed relationship with this competition that an eight-run loss to Canada represented a vast improvement on what had gone before.

And yet it was another game thrown away by the home team. This tournament – an eight-team One-Day International league that lasts for over three years – might be at its start, there is plenty of time for the UAE to come good yet, but still, they have been painfully profligate in their first week back.

Having been trounced by Canada in their first meeting last week, then by Scotland two days ago, the national team shuffled their pack again.

In a bid to find a solution to the long-term issues with their batting, out went Alishan Sharafu and Asif Khan.

The former had been one of the stars of the International League T20 tournament that preceded this event, and the latter scored the fastest ODI ton by an Associate cricketer when UAE last played a series in this competition.

In their place came something old and something new. Tanish Suri was restored to the top of the order, two games after he suffered a chastening ODI debut.

And CP Rizwan took Asif’s spot at No 4, a year after he was dumped as the team's captain during the wretched final days of Robin Singh’s spell as coach.

Each showed moments of promise as UAE started out well in their pursuit of a rain-revised target of 237 from 46 overs.

Maiden ODI Ton