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West Indies’ Alick Athanaze etched his name on history books with a 26-ball half-century on ODI debut against United Arab Emirates (UAE). In the dead rubber third ODI, Athanaze equalled India's Ishan Kishan and Krunal Pandya’s record fastest fifty on debut in the 50-over format.
In the run chase of 185 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Athanaze got a chance to showcase his talent with series already in the bag. In the second over, he took on Aayan Afzal Khan for two sixes. In the third over, the southpaw hit three fours off Junaid Siddique. The wicket of Johnson Charles in the fourth over did not have an impact on him.
Shades of Lara
Athanaze continued to deal in fours and sixes and got to his half-century with a boundary off Rohan Mustafa in the 10th over of the run chase. Athanaze’s drives showed glimpses of the legendary Brian Lara and Darren Bravo. The 24-year-old had a chance to carry his bat on ODI debut but he got out lbw in an attempt to play reverse sweep off Aayan. His 65-run knock from 45 balls featured nine fours and three sixes.
Athanaze’s record before debut
Before making his ODI debut, Athanaze had featured in West Indies' Under-19s, and their B team as well. In List A cricket (One-Day), he had scored 664 runs from 29 innings at an average of 23.71 including two centuries and two half-centuries.
Waseem, Aravind hit big
Earlier, UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem won the toss and opted to bat first. Despite early wicket of Lovepreet Singh, UAE got off to a good start. Waseem scored freely but got bowled by Raymon Reifer in the 12th over. He scored 42 runs from 34 balls including five fours and two sixes. Vriitya Aravind and Rameez Shahzad shared a 55-run partnership for third wicket but he got caught and bowled by Kevin Sinclair in the 23rd over.
UAE’s epic collapse
After Shahzad's wicket, UAE suffered a batting collapse. Aravind also became Sinclair's victim. He scored 70 runs from 75 deliveries. Sinclair and Yannic Cariah got rid of UAE's lower order and tailenders. From 142/2, UAE got all out for 184 in 36.1 overs. They lost nine wickets for 42 runs and made a mess of a good platform.
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