New Zealand batter Mark Chapman returns to scene of historic century as he faces UAE

It is tempting to suggest the UAE will be confronted with a familiar face when Mark Chapman steps out to bat for New Zealand in the T20 international series in Dubai this week.

Eight years ago, just across the Dubai Sports City precinct at the ICC Academy, the left-hander became the 10th player in history to score a century on one-day international debut.

To say his unbeaten, 116-ball innings of 124 that day will be seared into the minds of the UAE bowlers would be misleading, though.

Not one player from that UAE side back in 2015 is still part of the national team, save for Ahmed Raza, who is now their assistant coach.

Much has changed for Chapman, too. Now he wears the black of New Zealand. Back then, it was the red of Hong Kong.

“I have fond memories of Dubai, the UAE, and the different grounds here, but that does feel like a wee while ago now,” Chapman said, ahead of Thursday’s opening T20I in Dubai.

His debut exploits against the UAE were all the more impressive given the lead in to it. A day earlier he had been in Auckland, finishing up his final exam of the term in engineering studies at Auckland University.

“I went straight to the airport, landed in Dubai and went straight to the ground,” Chapman, 29, said.

“It was a pretty quick turnaround. We certainly wouldn’t do that these days playing international cricket, and I wouldn’t recommend it. It was a whirlwind 48 hours.”

Although technically an ODI debut, Chapman was already well known to the UAE, as well as most other sides beyond the Test sphere, back in 2015.

He had been part of Hong Kong’s side at the T20 World Cup a year earlier, and played plenty of limited-overs internationals, too – even if they were not officially deemed ODIs.

“It just so happened that we