Dubai: UAE’s star batsman Shaiman Anwar is known for his hard-hitting knocks but in the second one-day match against Netherlands at the VRA Ground in Amstelveen, he sparkled as a bowler with his gentle accurate medium pace, bagging four wickets for 31 runs to ensure a five-wicket win for his team.
UAE had won the first One day match too by three wickets to win the three match series.
Netherlands won the toss and elected to bat. Their openers Wesley Barresi and Stephan Myburgh gave a good start by putting on 70 runs in 14 overs before skipper Rohan Mustafa brought himself on and sent back Myburgh for 39.
Left-arm spinner Ahmad Raza, well known for his ability to remove settled batsmen, then got into the act by removing Barresi for 34.
Pacer Mohammad Naveed clean bowled Asad Zulfiqar for 19 before Ben Cooper and Saqib Zulfiqar put on a 78-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
It was Anwar’s day from thereon. Cooper, who was batting on 47, was his first victim.
Anwar also took the prize wicket of skipper Peter Borren for 8. Meanwhile, Naveed trapped wicketkeeper Tobias Visee leg before for 6.
Anwar ensured Netherlands didn’t have any respite as he trapped a well set Saqib leg before for 31.
Netherlands, from a commanding 173 for 3, slipped to 194 for 7 and were all out for 239, with Anwar claiming his fourth wicket by having Paul van Meekeren caught by Rameez Shahzad for a duck. If not for Logan van Beek’s knock of 31, Netherlands would not have crossed the 200-run mark.
Chirag Suri, who was picked for the Indian Premier League recently, opened the UAE innings with skipper Mustafa. They put on 54 runs in 9.4 overs with Suri scoring 23. After Suri fell to Meekeren, wicketkeeper Gulam Shabber and Mustafa put on 56 runs for the second wicket.
Borren had Mustafa caught behind for 58. His run-a-ball 58 was studded with seven boundaries. Anwar lasted only 16 balls, tallying six runs before becoming another Meekeren victim. After Shabber fell for 37, caught behind off Van Beek for 37, Shahzad and Mohammad Usman put on 52 runs for the fifth wicket.
When UAE needed another 32 runs to win, Shahzad fell to Van Beek for 44.
Usman remained unbeaten on 42, off 47 balls, with three boundaries to ensure the victory in 48.2 overs.
