One of the most exciting young players in the UAE national team, Muhammad Wasim achieved a major goal in his promising career to join the Mumbai Indians family and play alongside some stars.
Accordingly, that dream came true when Muhammad got the opportunity to represent MI Emirates in the inaugural edition of ILT20.
“Since this league was announced I always wanted to play for MI Emirates. MI is the biggest franchise in the world. It is a successful franchise. When I got to know that I had got a chance to play for MI Emirates under Kieron Pollard as captain, my happiness doubled.”
Muhammad’s delight was compounded by the fact that MI Emirates was led by one of the most dangerous batsmen in the T20 game, former West Indies player Kieron Pollard.
“The kind of captain Pollard is, he treats everyone well and gives us all confidence. I had heard a lot about him. But ever since I met him, he has always backed me and given me confidence.”
“Dwayne Bravo, Pollard, Nicholas Pooran I get more confidence when I am backed by players such as Dwayne Bravo, Pollard, Nicholas Pooran and more importantly the MI Emirates team management.”
He praised Pollard’s leadership and praised Pollard’s pre-match support for a strong performance against Sharjah Warriors in MI’s Emirates campaign opener.
“Pollard’s captaincy had a big role in helping me perform. The kind of confidence and support he gave me inspired me to perform well.”
Commenting on the performance of the MI Emirates batting line-up, especially their 79-run third-wicket partnership with Nicholas Pooran in the opener, Wasim said; in
“It (the performance) was a result of the kind of practice and training we underwent in the build-up to the tournament. Earlier I used to go all out from the word go, but in the first match, I and Pooran decided to access the conditions and the bowlers, before getting into the groove.”
Commenting further, he said,
“I have played with Pooran in the past too, he is an experienced campaigner and batting with him boosts my confidence. In the last match, the conditions were windy but we were confident that the way we were batting if we manage to connect our shots properly, the ball will go beyond the boundary.”
Wasim also expressed willingness to roll his arms if Pollard and MI Emirates team management wanted to avail his services.
“I like to take responsibility and if given a chance will like to bowl also in the future.”