NAPIER: World Cup amateurs United Arab Emirates prepared to head home to their day jobs Sunday with words of thanks to Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and one regret over a dropped catch against Ireland.

The UAE’s World cup comeback, 19 years after their one and only previous appearance, ended with a sixth straight loss when the West Indies pulled off a six-wicket win at McLean Park in Napier.

“It was a satisfactory performance from us, but we know we could have done better,” captain Mohammad Tauqir said.

“Overall the whole tournament has been very special for the whole team.”

Morkel and Steyn were singled out for a ferocious spell of intimidatory bowling which, Tauqir took as recognition that his team of part-timers deserved to be part of cricket’s ODI showpiece.

“I’m very thankful to them for bowling to us they way they did,” said Tauqir, who scored three before he was bowled by Steyn.

“By facing them it gave us a lot of confidence. We almost played 48 overs in that match and it was the most hostile bowling we faced in this tournament.”

UAE’s closest game was against Ireland who won with two wickets in hand and just four balls to spare.

But that game turned when Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien was dropped on 24 on his way to notching a half century.

Tauqir was in no doubt that “if that catch was taken we would definitely have won that game.”

Tauqir felt one dropped catch could have changed the complexion of their tournament.

Tauqir, however, felt that had Nasir Aziz taken a catch in the outfield off Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien, they might have been able to record their second victory at the World Cup after they beat the Netherlands by seven wickets in 1996.

O’Brien went on to score another 26 runs that helped Ireland to a two-wicket victory as they made 279 for eight with four balls to spare.

“Overall the whole tournament has been very, very special for the whole team,” Tauqir told reporters in Napier. “We really enjoyed the whole tournament.

“I think one moment that would have changed the game was I think Kevin O’Brien’s catch that got dropped. If that catch would have been taken, I think we would have definitely won that game.”

Tauqir singled out Shaiman Anwar’s batting as being a particular highlight for the team.

Anwar top-scored with 311 runs at 51.83 and at one stage after all of the teams had played four games, was the highest run scorer in the tournament.

Tauqir added the bowling had been good, though the majority of the batsmen had struggled and their fielding was not up to scratch.

“There were a few positives. I think overall our bowling department was pretty consistent in every game,” he said.

“I think it’s a little bit of fielding and the batting department that needs a bit of improvement.

“But we take a lot of positives from the whole event, and it was overall a good learning experience for us.”

Meanwhile, Tauqir, a 43-year-old banker, and his fellow 43-year-old deputy Khurram Khan, an airline purser, prepared to put aside full-time cricket for a while but harbored thoughts of still being around in four years for the next World Cup.

“We have done a lot of hard work during the last eight or 10 months in preparation for this tournament and I feel pretty fit,” Tauqir said.

“I would like to definitely continue playing as long as I am enjoying the game and the same with Khurram.”