Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, may have ditched Twenty20 this week in order to prolong his career and further cement his place in the pantheon of international greats. But for the UAE's longest-serving cricketer, the 20-over format is providing a reason to carry on playing the game. Mohammed Tauqir all but retired from the sport six months ago, following a lengthy career in which he established himself as the most successful Emirati cricketer to date. The 37-year-old spin all-rounder cited an increased workload with his job in wealth management as the main reason for packing away his boots.
The national team's subsequent failure to make the 2011 World Cup via the qualifying competition in South Africa in March further underscored that decision. Then came a tempting caveat, as the UAE were subsequently invited to host the qualifiers in February for a place in next year's World Twenty20 competition in West Indies. The lure of one last crack at the big stage proved too much for Tauqir. While the limbs may be weary, the mind remains willing.
"I wanted to play again and, by God's grace, I'm playing well," says the off-spinner, who was immediately installed as the captain of the national side's feeder team, the ECB Blues, upon his return. "It is just a case of getting back into the groove by working hard in the nets. The bowling is still in the system." Tauqir has since changed his job. Living in Sharjah, and working in Dubai for an Abu Dhabi bank, it is not obvious where he finds the time to indulge his passion. Playing in the Sharjah Ramadan Twenty20 Cup, the late matches often finish deep into the early hours of morning.
"It is a bit early to say whether I can commit any more time to cricket," he admits. "Whenever you change jobs there is a bit of a honeymoon period, and it has been a quiet period anyway because of summer and Ramadan. "But I want to continue playing more, hopefully with the support of the management in my office. If I am in form and performing well I want to continue playing, but of course my priority is always my employment."
Despite his time out from the game, Tauqir's class has been immediately apparent on his return, though it has not been entirely seamless. In his first game, against the tournament favourites Eurocon Alubond, Tauqir split the webbing between his fingers and was forced to play the next two matches with stitches. However, he has still guided his side through a tough group and into the next phase of the Ramadan Cup, all under the gaze of the national team coach, Colin Wells.
Fit and firing, Tauqir should be a shoo-in for the national team but he is taking nothing for granted. "We are looking forward to playing in the ICC qualifier," he adds. "If we qualify, hopefully I can go to the World Cup. We were really disappointed the UAE team could not make it through the World Cup qualifier in South Africa. "Twenty20 is taking over from 50-over cricket. For us, we were playing 20-over cricket before it became popular and changed the game."
The nation's cricketers play more 20-over cricket than any other format, and all are well aware of the importance of spin bowling. The UAE selectors have an enviable pool of slow bowlers, all of whom will have a keen grasp on the local pitches. "Spinners play a very important role in Twenty20," says Tauqir. "The wickets here, in Sharjah especially, always help the spinners. The medium-pacers don't get much assistance.
"Maybe in Dubai or Abu Dhabi it will be a slightly different story, but we have a good spin attack. "We need to work on strengthening our batting, as well as our overall fitness." Sridharan Sriram, who played eight one-day internationals for India, struck 52 off 34 balls to set up a 48-run win for Nucaf Tellicherry over the UAE Nationals, an emerging Emirati side, in the Ramadan Cup. pradley@thenational.ae