Dubai: Shaiman Anwar, who was the UAE’s batting hero in this year’s Cricket World Cup, hit a fighting half-century against Ireland on the second day of the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match in Dublin, but could not save his team from the follow-on.
Chasing Ireland’s mammoth total of 492, the tourists were bowled out for 213 in 71.3 overs early on the third day on Thursday. Anwar cracked 57 off 90 balls with nine boundaries and a six and, despite the tough conditions, he scored 42 of his 57 runs from boundaries.
UAE had won the toss and elected to field. Though pacer Mohammad Naveed took the wicket of skipper William Porterfield for 17, opener Paul Stirling and Ed Joyce put on a whopping 231 runs for the second wicket.
Thirty-six-year-old Joyce, who used to represented England, cracked 231 off 232 balls with 29 boundaries and three sixes, while Stirling scored 146 off 197 balls with 17 boundaries and three sixes.
Amjad Javed, who was the pick of the UAE bowlers, ended Joyce’s knock by trapping him leg before wicket. He went on to pick up three more wickets to return with figures of four for 117. Naveed, skipper Mohammad Tauqir and Fayyaz Ahmad took two wickets each.
UAE began their chase by losing opener Amjad Ali for one run to John Mooney.
Opener Asif Iqbal and Saqib Ali put on 57 runs for the second wicket before Craig Young clean bowled Iqbal for 43 and the trapped Ali leg before for 27. Khuram Khan scored 24 and Swapnil Patil 30 before falling to Mooney.
Following on, the UAE were 138 for three in 57 overs during the second session of Thursday’s play.
Openers Iqbal (12) and Ali (28) put on a 40-run partnership, but left-arm spinner George Dockrell removed both of them. Saqib Ali was unbeaten on 42 and Swapnil was unconquered on 44, but the UAE trailed by 141 runs with only seven wickets in hand.
