Dubai: UAE’s batting failed to take off in the first match of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers as they crashed to a nine-wicket defeat to Scotland at Edinburgh on Thursday.
Put in to bat, UAE were bowled out for a paltry 109 in 18.1 overs. It was a disappointing show by UAE batsmen, who are known to be good players of spin, as they fell to 18-year-old left-arm spinner Mark Watt and 24-year-old off-spinner Michael Leask. They bagged three wickets each to set up an easy target for Scotland.
Scotland, who are co-hosts of the World T20 qualifiers along with Ireland, raced to the target in just 10 overs with opener George Munsey hitting an unbeaten 62 off just 36 balls with 11 boundaries and one six and Kyle Coetzer, who scored 39 runs off 16 balls. Together they put on an opening partnership of 96 runs in 7.6 overs before Coetzer fell to Mohammad Naveed, the lone wicket-taker.
Scotland skipper Preston Mommsen looked up to his pacers to give him an early breakthrough. UAE opener Faizan Asif, fresh from two centuries in two practice matches, scored briskly but fell for 17 runs to Evans. One-drop Mohammad Shahzad too fell soon for 14 runs. The biggest blow for UAE was the dismissal of Shaiman Anwar, who began with a towering six over mid-wicket but fell for nine runs to Leask. Opener Amjad Ali too became a Watt victim for 14. UAE’s consistent middle0-order batsman Swapnil Patil got run out off a direct hit by Calum MacLeod at the non-strikers end for 3. Umair Ali (13) and No. 10 batsman Mohammad Naveed, through an unbeaten 19, helped UAE cross the hundred run mark.
Speaking after UAE’s defeat, skipper Mohammad Tauqir said: “It was a wicket on which over 150 runs should have been scored. We just had a bad day. It is a long tournament and we need to be a bit more responsible especially in the batting department.”
UAE were practising in Southampton before coming to Edinburgh for this match. “We had practiced in Southampton and the conditions were different here. We will come back,” assured Taquir.
UAE now take on Afghanistan in the next match on Friday.
