Khalifa Yousuf, an Emirati army soldier, seems to have bought into the former England coach David Lloyd's mantra of "Positive Mental Attitude". Yousuf, 26, is only just starting out in cricket. He is part of the Emirati cricket revolution which has taken hold in the game over the past 18 months, playing for a team who include at least eight UAE passport holders every time they take the field.
The UAE Nationals Club player had inscribed on the back of his first cricket bat the words: "No one can stop me". Those words served him well during their Sharjah Ramadan Twenty20 Rufi Cup on Sunday night, when, after every one around him had lost their heads, he raced to the wicket - batting at No 11. Their opponents, Al Barakah, looked to be dead and buried again when the Emirati team needed 35 with eight wickets and as many overs in hand. Seven wickets and an outbreak of mayhem later, two runs were required from the final four balls, as Yousuf arrived at the crease. Being a beginner, the gravity of his side's astonishing collapse seemed to have little effect on Yousuf's mindset. He swung hard at the first ball he faced. Missed.
Luckily for him, the ball missed everything else too, slid down the leg side, and the one run needed to secure a tie was earned by way of a wide. The tie achieved, Yousuf made to swipe the next ball out of the ground. Missed again. He then sparked pandemonium among his teammates and compatriots when he viciously swished at the second last delivery of the game. The ball skewed off the outside edge of the bat, pierced the densely populated infield and raced away to third man for four. He had earned his side victory in their first game of the tournament. "He kept telling us he was going to do something special," said his teammate Alawi Shukri. "This must have been what he was talking about."
In the night's late match, Al Hamad continued their strong start to the tournament by beating Seven Seas Strikers, who are still being led by Freddy Sidhwa. pradley@thenational.ae