UAE: Muhammad Waseem steps down as ODI captain; Chopra to lead

UAE batter Muhammad Waseem has decided to step down as the ODI captain, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) said on Friday.

Waseem, who has played 52 ODIs and has led the country in 26 of them, will be replaced by wicketkeeper-batsman Rahul Chopra.

Chopra's first assignment as skipper will be the ICC Cricket World Cup League tri-series involving hosts Oman and the Netherlands scheduled next month. Waseem is part of the squad that was announced on Friday.

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Waseem, who won seven ODIs and lost 19 as skipper, said that his decision behind relinquishing the captaincy was to focus on his batting.

“I have decided to step down as captain to concentrate on my batting in the ODI format. My best wishes are with the new captain, I will be giving him my full support,” Waseem, who scored his only century in the format, against Papua New Guinea, said in a statement.

The ECB thanked Waseem for his service. "Muhammad Waseem has decided to step down as captain of the UAE men's ODI team. Waseem will continue to represent the country in the ODI format. The Emirates Cricket Board has thanked Waseem for his services as team captain and wished him the best for the future," the board said in a statement.

Waseem has flourished in the shortest format of the game, having played 57 T20 Internationals, where he has scored three hundreds and 16 half-centuries.

He has featured in franchise leagues around the world, including the Pakistan Super League (PSL), UAE's ILT20, Bangladesh Premier League, Lanka Premier League, Global T20 Canada and Abu Dhabi T10.

Meanwhile, the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 is part of the qualifying pathway for the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2027.

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