Mana scalps four as UAE edge past Afghanistan

Dubai - Hosts score one-run victory in pre-tour warm-up tie

 UAE Blue defeated Afghanistan by a solitary run in a 50 overs a side pre-tour warm-up match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday, after surviving anxious moments when the last Afghan pair were in.
Needing two runs for a win, Afghanistan's last wicket fell when Dowlat Zadran was run out by UAE's Saqlain Haider after the visitors were set a target of 115 to win. The UAE had scored 114 all out from 38.4 overs.
Led by a brilliant burst by the Man of the Match, Shazad Mana, who scalped four Afghan wickets for 21 off six overs, the Blues were able to squeak their way through in the low scoring encounter. Mana received admirable support from opening bowler Amjad Javed (2-25) who claimed the wicket of opener Mohammed Shezad for a duck.
The Afghans were in trouble after Shezad's early departure, and soon found themselves at a precarious 8-75 till Shafiq Shafiqullah who displayed great fighting qualities, came up with 21 invaluable runs and had number 10 batsman Mirwais Ashraf (7) and last man in Zadran (3) as his final allies. Ashraf was caught and bowled by Mana, making the final over even more tense.
For Afghanistan opener Noor Al Zadran (19) and middle order batsman Nawroz Mangal (22) had stood firm against the steady UAE bowling.
Earlier, the UAE team went through lean periods after being placed at 1-6 and 4-28, till the batsmen afterwards Amjad Javed (27), Rohan Mustafa (21) and Sreekumar Laxman (15) helped the home side to a slightly more respectable position. Javed had two 6s and a four in his tally with Mustafa helping himself to a six and a four. Laxman managed three quick boundaries during his timely knock. For Afghanistan, Zafdran claimed three UAE wickets for 12 runs, Ashraf had two victims for nine runs from five overs while M. Qadeer scalped two for 27.
Afghanistan are here for their ODI and T20 series against Zimbabwe starting on December 25.