UAE hope for an even better showing
dubai — It would have been difficult to sum up the emotions but it could be safely said that the UAE were left disappointed after Mother Nature and bad light had robbed them off a historic win against the Zimbabweans.
The second One Day International in Harare on Friday was tantalizingly poised with the game ebbing and flowing after a twohour rain delay.
But as the truncated match neared its completion, the fading light brought an end to proceedings with Zimbabwe winning by four runs through the DuckworthLewis Method.
That meant that the hosts took a 2-0 lead with two matches left to play on Sunday and Tuesday.
UAE coach Dougie Brown and his lads would have rued the fact that they missed out on a golden opportunity to put it across a Full Member Nation but the 49-yearold would be looking at the positives gleaned.
For one, the UAE batting lineup gave a better account of themselves despite a top-order collapse. Shaiman Anwar and Ghulam Shabber gave a proper riposte after being three down for 12.
The 40-year-old Anwar showed he still hadn’t lost any of his touch with his 11th half-century, while wicketkeeper-natsman Shabber made his fourth fifty. The pair also put on a crucial 131-run stand for the fourth wicket.
And with the match reduced to 35 overs, the UAE went on to make 169 for nine.
Then, the UAE bowlers made things interesting with off-spinner Rohan Mustafa taking two for 38 to leave Zimbabwe on 92 for four until Regis Chakabva and skipper Peter Moor thwarted their charge.
Brown would have been pleased by his team’s showing and would be hoping for more of the same in the third ODI on Sunday.
And while the Duckworth-Lewis Method went against the UAE, the UAE Under-19 boys benefited from it with them notching their second win in as many matches in the ICC Asia Under-19 World Cup qualifiers in Kuala Lumpur.
The colts earned a narrow onerun victory over Nepal at the Kinrara Academy Oval on Saturday. The UAE lads had earlier beaten hosts Malaysia by five wickets in their opener on Friday.