Dubai : Saqib Ali and Swapnil Patil led the UAE's spectacular fightback on the third day of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Intercontinental Shield final against Namibia at the ICC Global Cricket Academy grounds.
Ali is unconquered on 139 runs off 403 balls with 15 hits to the boundary, while Patil missed a well-deserved century by just six runs. His 94 off 202 balls made up of 12 hits to the boundary ended when Sarel Burger trapped him leg before. Burger has taken five of UAE's 8 wickets that fell in the second innings.
It was one of UAE's most spectacular fightbacks after being shot out for just 79 runs in the first innings. Ali and Patil put on 172 for the sixth wicket in 67.3 overs, shattering Namibia's hopes for an innings victory. UAE now lead by 162 runs with two wickets in hand.
Commenting on his marathon effort, which commenced soon after tea on the second day, Ali said: "I have played such innings many times. I batted slowly because I had tail-enders with me.
Rotating the strike
"If I had a top-order batsman then maybe I could have rotated the strike a bit more. But with the tail-enders I decided to take on the responsibility and batted patiently."
After Patil's exit, Amjad Javed helped Ali put on another 44 runs for the seventh wicket.
Namibia Skipper Craig Williams provided the breakthrough by having Javed caught behind for 24 runs. Williams also trapped UAE vice captain Mohammad Tauqir leg before for 8.
Qasim Zubair provided excellent support to Ali and the pair has already added 40 runs for the ninth wicket.
Talking about UAE's fightback, Williams said: "The pitch has got better and it is really flat now. But the way they batted maybe they could have looked to score a lot quicker. But this ensures that we do not bat first thing tomorrow, so that could be a blessing in disguise for us."
scores
UAE 79 & 403 for 8 in 164 overs (Naeemuddin Aslam 48, Arshad Ali 50, Swapnil Patil 94, Saqib Ali 139 n.o., Sarel Burger 5 for 80, Craig Williams 2 for 88) vs Namibia (first innings) 320.
