Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates registered an eight-wicket victory over Uganda in their ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2013 Group A game at Shaikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Having opted to field, UAE reduced Uganda to 25 for 5 in nine overs. Phillimon Selowa (22), along with Davis Arinaitwe (22), the Uganda captain, tried to rebuild the innings with a 43-run stand, but UAE came back into the match with quick strikes, as Uganda could register only 88 runs in its 20 overs. Amjad Javed, the medium pacer, and Nasir Aziz, the off-break bowler, picked up two wickets each.
In reply, the UAE openers set the platform for an easy win with a 70-run stand in 11.2 overs. Shaiman Anwar, the right-hand batsman, registered his maiden T20 half-century with a 38-ball 54 as UAE went past the target in 14.2 overs.
In another Group A encounter at the same stadium on Friday, Ireland eased past Namibia by 32 runs. The decision to field first backfired for Namibia as William Porterfield (32) and Paul Stirling (52) added 84 runs in 8.5 overs for the first wicket. And once they were gone, the O’Brien bothers — Kevin and Niall — kept the runs flowing with a 32-run stand.
Chasing 167, Namibia started cautiously as the openers added 34 runs in 4.3 overs, before Louis Petrus van der Westhuizen was dismissed by Alex Cusack, the experienced medium pacer, for 12. Namibia kept losing wickets at regular intervals and could only manage 134 runs in its 20 overs. Raymond van Schoor, the right-handed batsman, carried his form ahead from the warm-up games and remained unbeaten on 48. Cusack finished with figures of 2 for 22.
In the Group B match at the ICC Academy Ground, Nepal thrashed Denmark by five wickets to register their first win in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. Denmark got of to a shaky start, with the top five adding just 31 runs. Lack of any significant individual score or partnership meant Denmark could only post 79 runs in 19.4 overs. Sagar Pun, the off-break bowler, picked up three wickets giving away just twelve runs.
In pursuit of the paltry score, Nepal was caught off guard with two wickets going down without any runs on the board. Subash Khakurel (17) and Paras Khadka (48), the Nepal captain, then rebuilt the innings with a 67-run stand and ensured a comfortable victory. Kamran Mahmood, the right-arm fast medium bowler, ended with figures of 2 for 4.
In the other Group B match, Bermuda managed an 18-run victory over Scotland at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Batting first, Bermuda started briskly but was reduced to 105 for 5 in 15 overs. Bermuda eventually scored 149 for 7.
Scotland had a less than ideal start losing two wickets with only eight runs on the board. Richie Berrington (29), Kyle Coetzer (37) and Rob Taylor (26) tried to carry Scotland home but with as many as eight batsmen failing to get into double-digit scores, Scotland folded for 131 in 19.5 overs.
