24 August 2006
EMIRATES FLY ABOVE NEPAL'S CLIMBERS
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| Arshad Ali orchestrating things in the field |
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Nepal v UAE at Kinrara Oval
UAE WON BY NINE WICKETS
At the start of the ACC Trophy, Nepal were considered to be the team most likely to beat the UAE. Now that they've met, the UAE have shown that it doesn't matter who shows up against them. When the UAE are on their A game, everyone else takes a lesson. Nepal took one today, losing their semi-final of the ACC Trophy with the UAE at Kinrara by nine wickets.
To be fair to Nepal, they weren't at their best today. But then they weren't allowed to be. The UAE bowling first, took wickets at just the right times. First up, Paresh Lohani who played down the wrong line to Javed Ismail, then young Gyananedra Malla who realised for the first time perhaps in his life how the real big boys plays and then, just when Nepal were making a comeback at 51 for 2, Ali Asad whistled one past Sharad Vesawkar and got the faintest of edges.
Runs were at a premium from then on, with five boundaries coming in the next twenty overs. Shadeep Silva delivered his left-arm orthodox beautifully, drawing the batsman's front foot forward and back as if on a string and doing enough off the pitch to keep the batsmen tentative against him throughout.
Only one batsman could have taken him on, left-hander Mahaboob Alam, forthright, fearless and fast of hand and eye. But after hitting a four, a leading edge found him caught and at 56 for 4, Nepal were truly up against it.
The screws tightened and after 37 overs Nepal were all out for 103.
The UAE batsman like the ball coming fast, it comes off the bat faster. With 12 runs taken off Alam's first over, the leg-spinner Shakti Gauchan came on and immediately had Muhammad Iqbal bowled by a googly.
Slow, low pitch/ two-paced spinning surface - it doesn't matter to Arshad Ali. He monstered the runs necessary, reaching 50 of 47 deliveries, finishing on 75 off 61 deliveries to take his team home.
"It's not that Nepal are a bad side, we are just very good. We are putting the ball in the right places and taking wickets at the right times," said UAE coach Chandika Hathurusinghe. "All the star players are performing when it matters. Whether we play Afghanistan or Hong Kong in the Final doesn't matter to us. We are ready."
SEMI-FINAL 1
Nepal v UAE at Kinrara Oval
UAE WON BY NINE WICKETS
Nepal: 103 in 37 overs (S. Silva 3-16, M. Touqir 3-30)
UAE: 105 for 1 off 21.3 overs (A. Ali 75*)
Man of the Match: Shadeep Silva (UAE)
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