Dubai: In-form UAE dominated Papua New Guinea by seven wickets to get their campaign in the second leg of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 on a rousing note at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Chasing a below-par target of 177 for win, the hosts rode a fine unbeaten 81 by Asif Khan and a sedate 40 by the prolific Vrittiya Aravind to reach their target in 44.3 overs. They will play their next game against Nepal on Friday.
Papua New Guinea’s decision to bat after winning the toss backfired as off spinner Basil Hameed claimed four wickets for 19 runs as he and skipper Ahmed Raza (2/45) ran through their innings. Captain Asad Vala, their No.3 batsman, played a sensible innings of 46 off 72 balls but wickets continued to fall around him at regular intervals.
The UAE lost two quick wickets in Chirag Suri and Mohammed Wasim and were reduced to 32 for two before Asad starred in two valuable partnerships - first with Aravind and then CP Rizwan to take them home. The unbroken fourth wicket stand between Asif and Rizwan yielded 90 runs.
The remaining matches of the UAE are as follows: Friday, March 18: vs Nepal (Dubai); Saturday, March 19: vs PNG (Dubai); Monday, March 21: vs Nepal (Dubai).
Brief Scores: United Arab Emirates 179/3 (44.3 ov) beat Papua New Guinea 176/8 (50 ov). Man of the Match: Basil Hameed
