UAE knock Hong Kong out

The Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah yesterday witnessed the first contest of the Asia Cup T20 Qualifiers that was not decided in the last over when the United Arab Emirates romped to a six-wicket win over Hong Kong. The victory has placed the UAE in prime position for a slot in the main round and has also eliminated Hong Kong from the race.

At the moment, UAE have four points from two matches, while Hong Kong have zero from two. The final round of the Qualifiers today will confirm the fifth participant of the Asia Cup.

Afghanistan, who have two points from two matches, will take on Hong Kong in the afternoon. Asghar Stanikzai and Co will need to win that match by a large margin in order to keep their hopes of a spot in the main tournament alive.

In the evening the UAE will take on Oman, who have two points from two matches. If Oman wins, they will have two points as well and that is when the run-rate factor will come into play. If UAE win, they will go through with an all-win record. As a result, both sides will be desperate for a win.

Batting first, Hong Kong put up a below-par 146 for seven. They were pegged back by wickets from Mohammad Naveed and Amjad Javed, who finished with figures of 3 for 14 and 2 for 21 respectively. Had it not been for Babar Hayat's 54 off 45 deliveries, the men from the Gulf would have been in further trouble. Babar played a cautious knock that helped them rebuild and in the process hit eight boundaries. However, once the set batsman departed there was barely any resistance from down the order.

The UAE stuttered a bit at the start of their chase with the player-of-the-match of their first game Rohan Mustafa getting dismissed in the second over. They lost Mohammad Kaleem in the third over and suddenly found themselves at 22 for 2. However, a 79-run stand between Mohammad Shahzad and Muhammad Usman for the third wicket ensured that there were no further hiccups.

Shahzad smacked a 39-ball 52 and hit four fours and a six while Usman hit a cautious 39-ball 41. Shaiman Anwar came towards the end and scored an 18-ball 25 to take UAE home in the 19th over. 

SCORES IN BRIEF
HONG KONG: 146 for 7 (Babar 54, Chapman 29; Naveed 3-14, Amjad 2-21)
UAE: 147 for 4 in 18.3 overs (Shahzad 52, Usman 41; Nadeem 1-17, Chapman 1-24)
Result: UAE won by six wickets