(Will UAE manage to hold off a strong Afghanistan, or will the hosts dominate?)
UAE have won it, despite losing the wicket of Khurram Khan. Afghanistan will be disappointed with their effort and look to bounce back in the next match.
OUT! Khurram Khan st Zazai b Nabi 53 (70)
Oh my! 43-year-old Khurram Khan has unleashed a flurry of boundaries on the Afghani bowlers. Shaiman Anwar gets in the mix too and hits a six off the last ball of the 45th over.
UAE have lost two quick wickets which has brought Afghanistan back into the match. Captain Khurram Khan is still batting, and is slowly accumulating the runs. In the last nine overs they need 56.
OUT! Saqib run out (Shapoor/Zazai) 24 (29) / OUT! Swapnil Patil c Usman Ghani b Nabi 3 (7)
The two batsman are moving along slowly but steadily. This is not a good sign for Afghanistan as they don’t have many runs left to defend. A few quick wickets can still bring them back in contention though.
Finally Afghanistan make the breakthrough. Ashraf’s patience pays off as he takes the wicket of Amjad Ali. Andri Berenger is dismissed shortly after by Gulbadin Naib. UAE still have the upper hand in this game though.
OUT! Amjad Ali c Zazai b Mirwais 67 (79)
UAE continue to march on without losing a wicket. Except for Mirwais Ashraf, none of the Afghan bowlers have shown resistance. Andri Berenger is approaching his half-century too!
Amjad Ali has completed his half-century. And UAE are really coasting at this moment. Afghan bowlers are not able to find any answers at the moment. They need to make a breakthrough quickly in order to make a comeback in this match.
UAE have made a superb start to their chase. Amjad Ali has done the bulk of the scoring, and his wicket will prove crucial for Afghanistan.
Some good hitting by Stanikzai and Shenwari has helped Afghanistan reach a respectable total. The 48th over went for 17 runs. Afghanistan should fancy themselves to defend this with comfort.
OUT! Zazai c Amjad Javed b Karate 60 (109)/ OUT! Naib c M Tauqir b Naveed 8 (6)/ OUT! Stanikzai b Karate 46 (33)
The current partnership has been a steady one for Afghanistan with 48 runs coming from 48 balls. A few good overs and the visitors will be able to get to a total they’ll fancy themselves to defend.
Amjad Javed has taken the crucial wicket of Mohammad Nabi. That’s a crucial blow for the visitors as Nabi was looking in great touch, whereas Zazai was playing slowly. Asghar Stanikza is the new man in for Afghanistan and it remains to be seen what he will be able to do.
OUT! Nabi c M Tauqir b Amjad Javed 28(30)
Mohammad Nabi is looking in good touch and he has been scoring swiftly ever since Nawroz was dismissed. A little less than 20 overs left in the match, and Afghanistan don’t look like they are going to get an imposing total. Zazai has been painfully slow scoring just 31 from the 73 deliveries he has faced.
Nawroz Mangal scores his fifty and falls shortly after. That is a crucial breakthrough for UAE team, as the partnership was starting to look dangerous. The onus lies now on Afsar Zazai to lead the side towards victory.
OUT! Nawroz c Manjula Guruge b M Tauqir 52 (70)
Afghanistan don’t lose any wicket but they are not scoring quickly. A player with the interesting name of Krishna Karate is bowling for UAE, and he helps the Afghan batsman break lose. A four and a six of consecutive balls is hit by Mangal in the 20th over.
Afghanistan have made a slow start to their innings. Credit must be given to the UAE bowlers who have kept them quiet. Nawroz Mangal is slowly gettling himself into the mix, and he can be a dangerous player for hosts UAE.
Hello and welcome to CricketCountry’s live blog of the first One-Day International (ODI) between United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan at the ICC Global Cricket Academy, Dubai, on Friday. We will be bringing you the live updates of this match.
The two associate nations are in full preparation for their maiden appearances in the ICC World Cup. Both teams will appear in the 2015 edition of cricket’s premier event.
Squads:
United Arab Emirates (UAE): Amjad Ali, Andri Berenger, Saqib Ali, Khurram Khan(c), Swapnil Patil(wk), Shaiman Anwar, Amjad Javed, Mohammad Naveed, Manjula Guruge, Mohammad Tauqir, Krishnachandran Karate.
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