UAE create Asian cricket history

The UAE cricket team carved out a golden chapter in the history of Asian cricket in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Defeating Oman by 94 runs in the final of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Trophy, the UAE recorded a hat-trick in this tournament.

The UAE had won the ACC Trophy in 2000 in Sharjah by beating Hong Kong by three wickets. They also defended the title in 2002 outplaying Nepal by six wickets in Singapore.

In this tournament, UAE played like champions from the start. They thrashed Singapore by 233 runs in the first match, and recorded a 10-wicket victories over Qatar and Thailand. In the quarterfinals, UAE beat Malaysia by 61 runs and stopped Kuwait by 120 runs in the semifinals.

In the final yesterday, UAE played with the same authority they displayed in their earlier matches.

Put in to bat by Oman, UAE lost their hard-hitting opener Asim Saeed for 1 when he was caught behind by Sultan Ahmed off Hemin Desai.

One-down Asghar Ali was dismissed for 7. Naemuddin and Arshad prevented any more damage and added 101 runs for the third wicket.

Arshad hit 77 (105b, 7x4) before being bowled by Mehta. Naeemudin got stumped off Mohammed Asif for 37.

The inform Syed Maqsood took charge and went for his shots. He hit 67 off 67 balls with four boundaries and two sixes. Skipper Khuram Khan chipped in with an elegant 27 (19b, 2x4, 1x6) and the UAE recorded a challenging 253 for 7.

Oman began the chase through Adnan Ilyas and Hemal Mehta. They put on 37 runs but Ali Asad struck repeatedly to wipe out the the cream of Oman's batting. He had one-down Ashish Mayekar leg before for 1, bowled next man Khalid Moosa for a duck and trapped Rakesh Sharma leg before for 13.

Khuram, with his left-arm spin, and Mohammed Tauqir, through his off-spin, tightened the grip and bowled Oman out for 159.

In the end, ACC picked Arshad Ali, Asim Saeed, Ali Asad and Khuram Khan to represent a 14-member Asian Cricket team on a tour of Sri Lanka.

Mazhar Khan, the Emirates Cricket Board administrator, commenting on the UAE's achievement, said: "The boys have shown that they have the talent and, if given the opportunities, they are capable of producing excellent cricket. This victory is not only a big boost for cricket in UAE but also for the game in the region."

Abdul Razzaque Kazim, the chief selector and manager of the UAE team, remarked: "This victory is the result of the excellent team work. They set the goal of winning this trophy and concentrated fully on the task.

"We can now play in the Asia Cup with pride. These boys deserve to play in the Asia Cup and in the World Cup qualifier."

Final score:

UAE 253 for 7 in 50 overs (Arshad Ali 77, Naeemuddin 37, Syed Maqsood 67n.o, Khuram Khan 27, Hemal Mehta 3 for 38) bt Oman 159 in 44 overs (Adnan Ilyas 26, Hemal Mehta 39, Syed Azhar Ali 25, Ali Asad 4 for 38, Khuram Khan 2 for 14, Mohammed Tauqir 3 for 26). Man of the match: Ali Asad.