29 November 2009
Entering this match, both UAE and Afghanistan were unbeaten in the championship. The two strong teams in the championship perfectly lived up to the billing as Afghanistan won the match by one wicket.
Needing 145 to win, Afghanistan put up a poor show initially as they lost wickets regularly. At one stage Afghanistan were tottering at 18 for three and then 58 for six and the chase just looked impossible. Only Karim Sadiq (30) had offered some resistance against the UAE bowlers. A late 53-run seventh wicket partnership between Samiullah Shinwari and Khaleqdad Noori suddenly sprang the match back to life. Both played intelligent cricket without taking chances and scoring at ease.
With 22 runs required of the last two overs, the match could have gone either way. Qasim Zubair, who bowled the 19th over, came up with a stunning over giving away just seven runs and also accounted for two wickets thus ending the seventh-wicket stand. Shinwari departed for 34 while Khaleqdad Noori was out for 30.
Afghanistan needed 15 runs off the last over and UAE skipper Khurram Khan took it upon himself to bowl the crucial over. Though he conceded only five runs in the first four balls, his decision backfired when Hamid Hassan (19) hit a boundary of the fifth ball coming off a misfield at the deep and followed it up with a huge six in the last over to seal the match for the visitors. Qasim Zubair was the pick of the UAE bowlers scalping three wickets, while Khurram Khan picked two.
“It was a good match. At the end they played better than us,” said Khurram Khan. “We were not under pressure since the result of the match did not matter. But a win would have been great. We played well but I think misfielding at crucial time cost us the match. We will now focus on the semifinals and will come back stronger,” he added. Earlier, good batting by Amjad Javed (30), Arfan Hyder (34) and Naeemuddin Aslam (27) ensured UAE reached 144 for eight in 20 overs. Hamid Hassan and Samiullah Shinwari picked up two wickets each for Afghanistan.
With this win, Afghanistan remain unbeaten to top the Group A table with 10 points followed by UAE with eight points. In the Group B table, Oman have 10 points with five wins and Kuwait are second with six points.
In another match, Group B toppers Oman continued their dominance trouncing Kuwait by 86 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Batting first, Oman made a solid 217 for 4 in 20 overs. Opener HP Desai was in a hurry as he slammed 63 runs off just 28 balls that included five sixes and four boundaries. He alongwith SM Hussain shared 100 runs for the opening stand. Hussain made 48 in just 21 balls with three boundaries and four sixes. A Ilyas took over from them to score an unbeaten 48. In reply, Kuwait were no match as they were bundled out for 131 runs in 19.3 overs. P Sanal topscored with 32. While S Amir Ali picked up three wickets, Awal Khan and Hemal Mehta bagged two. While Kuwait meet Afghanistan in the first semifinals at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, the hosts UAE play Oman in the second one at Al Dhaid Cricket Village.
