Toss Afghanistan, chose to bat
Afghanistan (248-6) Zazai 60, Mangal 52; Karate 2-37
UAE (249-5) Amjad 67, Khurram 53, Berenger 52; Nabi 2-41
DUBAI // The UAE secured a first victory in a home one-day international, 20 years after they last hosted matches against India and Pakistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
This time their opponents were Afghanistan, who they beat by five wickets at a buzzing ICC Academy.
Although neither side contains players that could be considered household names, this was a top-ranked ODI – and it felt like it.
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Too often, the national team play matches with their coaching staff as the only spectators.
Not this time. This game, which started after Friday prayers and finished under floodlights, had a proper big match feel.
That was mostly because Afghanistan are a well-supported side and their fans came in their hundreds, many carrying tricolours.
Some played drums and everyone knew the tune.
The ground staff even had to extend the public viewing area early in the afternoon and had to hastily ferry bollards to various outposts of the oval on the back of buggies.
But it was the UAE players who thrived most in the atmosphere.
Coming off some tough assignments against strong sides from Pakistan and New Zealand, the UAE were keen to benchmark their progress against familiar rivals.
Once they had kept the Afghans to 248 for six from their 50 overs, they fairly breezed to their victory target.
The top three of Amjad Ali, Andri Berenger and Khurram Khan all made half-centuries in a resounding chase against arguably the best bowling attack beyond the Test sphere. The confidence of the batting display was in marked contrast to their most recent outing, against New Zealand A last week, when the top order crumbled to 21 for five.
Mudassar Nazar, the former Pakistan all-rounder who is serving as the UAE’s batting consultant, was impressed by what he saw.
“Our guys got away to a brilliant start, attacked them from the very first ball and we cashed in against Afghanistan’s new ball bowling,” Nazar said.
“Credit should be given to the batsmen how they kept multiplying those runs, then we kept building partnerships, which is the name of the game when you are chasing a big total like that.”
The win was the UAE’s third in their 15th official ODI, a status granted to them by way of qualifying for next year’s World Cup.
This was another marker of the side’s progress this year, although they have always had an outstanding record against Afghanistan in 50 over matches.
“There is an inner belief there, especially when they play against Associate-level members,” Nazar said.
“Afghanistan’s bowling attack is as good as any of the counties or the state sides they have played against. It is just that they haven’t got the name. These boys have given a good account of themselves.”
pradley@thenational.ae
Follow our sports coverage on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
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Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
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Results
STAGE
1 . Filippo Ganna (Ineos) - 0:13:56
2. Stefan Bissegger (Education-Nippo) - 0:00:14
3. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:21
4. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:24
5. Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) - 0:00:30
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 4:00:05
2. Joao Almeida (QuickStep) - 0:00:05
3. Mattia Cattaneo (QuickStep) - 0:00:18
4. Chris Harper (Jumbo-Visma) - 0:00:33
5. Adam Yates (Ineos) - 0:00:39
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