Faraazuddin, 21, dreams come true as he joins UAE cricket team

DUBAI: For 21-year-old Mohammad Faraazuddin, his selection as part of the 22-man UAE squad for the three one-day internationals against West Indies starting in Sharjah on June 4 is a dream come true come true.

The main reason for the all-rounder’s inclusion in the UAE team was his performance in the recently concluded UAE D50 Championship, which saw champions Fujairah beat Ajman by 53 points in the final.

Faraazuddin finished with 10 wickets, including a game-winning spell against Sharjah in the semi-finals with a six-wicket finish. He also scored 200 in Fujairah under UAE captain Mohammad Wasim.

“I am very happy to be part of the UAE team. I feel like my performance in the D50 has given me a place in the team,” Faraazuddin told gulf news After being selected in Muhammad Waseem’s 22-man squad.

The perimeter player has played all three — T10, Twenty20 and 50-plus — and knows how to adjust to the situation. He was also lucky to have the right guidance from Chris Gale, one of the best white ball specialists in the world, and Liam Livingstone, England all-rounder.

“You have to adapt to the situation, so I try to bowl in different ways in different conditions and that has helped me to be successful in whichever form I’ve been playing. I’ve also been in T10, which has taught How I stopped dropping points. Playing with people like Gayle and Livingstone helped me get the right guidance on how to play in different formats,” said the BBA graduate added.

Faraazuddin is one of many home-grown talents currently in the UAE senior team and has also represented the UAE Under-19 team led by Aryan Lakra. The current UAE senior team has five players from the team, including Vriitya Aravind, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Ansh Tandon and Sanchit Sharma.

Wrist spinners are currently favored over finger spinners in white ball games, but Faraazuddin thinks he can still play the role of a non-pinner, either way. To succeed, he trains for three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening to hone his skills while hitting the gym in between sessions.

“The approach is the same. For me it was simple to hit more penalties and that ultimately helped to take the wickets because if you follow the process the results will come automatically,” he said.

“There are not as many off-hand spinners as there are wrist spinners, but obviously if you hit four or five balls, the bonus is a wicket or two wickets. So in the 50-over format, I try to get as many as possible A good bowl, which in turn will get me a wicket,” he concluded.