Muhammad Waseem suffers injury and run out controversy as UAE lose to Ireland

A poor Cricket World Cup Qualifier campaign reached a new low for UAE after captain Muhammad Waseem suffered an arm injury and was then controversially run out in defeat to Ireland.

The national team conceded another huge total at Bulawayo Sports Club, with Paul Stirling hitting a sparkling 162 as the Irish racked up 349-4 in their 50 overs.

As unlikely as a chase seemed, the UAE started their reply in optimistic style. Waseem was at his majestic best as he and Aryansh Sharma, his opening partner, put on 50 within six overs.

Their alliance met an abrupt end off the second ball of the eighth over. Waseem was hit on the upper right arm by a delivery that lifted off a length from Mark Adair.

He immediately signalled to the dressing room for treatment. In so doing, he ambled out of his crease and Andrew Balbirnie, the Ireland captain, swooped in to affect a run out.

Waseem was given out when he was in agony while kneeling and receiving treatment.

“I was hurt and I called immediately to the physio [so] in my opinion it was a dead ball, but it was a call for the umpire to make,” Waseem said.

“That is the first time [he has experienced an incident like that] and I think it will be the last as well.

“Inshallah, I will be better in one or two games, because we have four or five days before our next game.”

Once he was gone, for 45 in 32 balls, the UAE suffered the sort of implosion that has been their downfall in this competition.

They crumbled to 109-6, at which point Basil Hameed and Sanchit Sharma combined to at least save face. They put on 73 for the seventh wicket.

Sanchit, who had taken three of the Irish wickets to fall on his return to the side, made it to 44, but when he went, UAE’s resistance was over. They ended on 211