Haider Ali's dew-focused prep spins UAE to famous series win

Haider Ali turned to an old-school method to prepare for Sharjah's infamous dew: dipping the cricket ball in a bucket of water and practising with it. The tactic worked like a charm on Wednesday night as the left-arm spinner starred with figures of 3 for 7, helping UAE seal a historic 2-1 T20I series victory against Bangladesh.

Dew, a well-known factor in night games in the UAE, hadn't shown up in the first two T20Is. But it arrived early in the third and deciding match. Unlike many bowlers on both sides who struggled for grip and control, Haider was ready. He said that the experience of having played in Sharjah under lights helped him.

"There was dew from the first over," Haider said after the game. "It usually sets in a little later in the game. But we were prepared for it. We have played in Sharjah a lot. I practice a lot with the wet ball. You have to get used to bowling with the wet ball if you want to perform here. You have to dunk the ball in a bucket of water and then bowl with it. We play night games in domestic cricket. It got me used to such conditions."

Making his T20I debut in this series, Haider had gone wicketless in the first two matches. But in the decider, he delivered right from the start. He dismissed batters Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy within his first three balls, then removed Mahedi Hasan in his next over, reducing Bangladesh to 49 for 4.

His spell - tight, aggressive, and accurate - set the tone for UAE's dominance with the ball. Haider credited his mindset shift for the turnaround.

"The series was level at one-all. I saw in the previous games that if I was being a little defensive with the ball, runs were leaking from the other end," he said. "After talking to the coaching staff, I decided that I will be aggressive in my bowling in this game. There was a lot of dew around, so the pitch had softened, which actually helped me. I could put together a good spell. The team needed my contribution.

"We decided to stick to the plan we made before the game. The plan was obviously to win the game at any cost. We decided that I will bowl aggressively, like I do in the ILT20 or domestic cricket. I wank to thank all those people who have supported me in the last 12 months, especially my domestic teams who have helped me practice on these wickets.".

Haider was especially proud of dismissing Litton, whom he called "a big wicket."

"He has performed all over the world," Haider said. "He was also my debut wicket. He can build partnerships and take the game away from you. Waseem bhai and I decided to attack him. We thought, 'we shouldn't be bowling defensive lines to him. If we can get him out early, we can deprive them of an early big partnership'."

Bangladesh recovered from 84 for 8 to post a competitive 162 for 9, but UAE chased it down, thanks to an unbeaten 68 from No. 3 Alishan Sharafu.

That apart, the 2-1 series win is a huge boost for UAE, as they head into a crucial year, having qualified for the Asia Cup.

"The UAE cricket board and our management supported the players a lot," Haider said. "I would like to thank them for the series victory. Bangladesh is a Test-playing nation, but UAE played really well in this series. The victory will boost the players, and it will boost our confidence in tournaments like the Asia Cup."