Papua New Guinea hot on the heels of Netherlands in the ICC WCL Championship

• PNG a step closer to securing a place in the CWC qualifier for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019
• UAE wins maiden ICC Intercontinental Cup 2015-2017 match in Abu Dhabi

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is two points behind the Netherlands in the ICC World Cricket League Championship (WCLC) standings after notching up another victory, this time against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Abu Dhabi.

PNG recovered after losing its first match by 82 runs, claiming victory in the second by 26 runs, even as the UAE went on to win its first ICC Intercontinental Cup (I-Cup) fixture which was played from 7 to 10 April.

PNG captain Assad Vala was very impressed with his team’s comeback in theICC WCL Championship fixture.

“We have done really well in this competition and are very well placed in the points table. We were disappointed with the result in the first game, but fought back really well in the second game to get the win with a much improved performance overall.

“Having New Zealand’s Ross Taylor (as coach) in the team dressing room is a great experience for us. He’s got a lot of experience and played all over the world against the best and having him around gives us some insight to how we can improve.”

Vani Morea’s 52 — the only half-century in the PNG innings — helped the side to 232 for nine in 50 overs. The UAE's Ghulam Shabber responded with a gritty 100-ball 70, but Assad Vala's three for 20 halted the UAE's charge. Muhammad Usman was the last man dismissed after a run-a-ball 30 as the UAE was bowled out for 206 in 47.4 overs. The seventh win in 10 ICC WCLC games for PNG.

In match one, the UAE completed an impressive victory after putting on a daunting 292 for five from 50 overs on the back of three half-centuries, with Rameez Shahzad’s fiery 87 the top score. In response, PNG’s top order looked in good stead at the start of the run chase, but a wobble in the middle was followed by a late collapse, and the team was bowled out for 210 in 47.3 overs.

The top sides from this tournament, with each team playing 14 matches in a double round-robin format, will join the bottom four sides from the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018. This forms the event qualification pathway where the top teams will qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 to be hosted in England and Wales.

In the ICC Intercontinental Cup fixture, the UAE won its first match in the tournament beating PNG by nine wickets.

UAE Captain Rohan Mustafa said: “I am feeling proud. I was not expecting that, but the boys showed how they can perform and showed their class.

“To get better we should learn from our mistakes and we did in this match. We went to the nets, worked hard on things we had to improve and supported each other. We can surprise a lot of teams if we continue playing like we did over the past four days.”

PNG was bowled out for 194 in its first innings. Centuries from Mushammad Usman (103) and Saqlain Haider (102 not out) put the UAE in control after scoring 441. Wickets fell regularly in PNG’s second innings with consistently good bowling by Mohammad Naveed (4-78) and Imran Haider (4-93).

Lega Siaka’s maiden first-class century carried PNG to 268, setting a target of 40 for the UAE. Shaiman Anwar (32 not out) helped the side win in style in only 5.5 overs.

Its first win in five games helped the UAE clamber off the foot of the points table and move to seventh spot, with 27 points. PNG, which slumped to its third defeat in five matches, remained static at fourth spot, with 40 points to its name.

The winning side of the ICC Intercontinental Cup will get an opportunity to play the 10th-ranked Test side in the ICC Test Challenge in 2018 and then try to acquire Test status until the next event in 2022, provided it wins the challenge.

Only one more game is left in the fifth round of the I-Cup, with Scotland scheduled to host Namibia in Edinburgh from 6 June. The ICC World Cricket League Championship matches will be played on June 11 and 13.

Scores in brief:

ICC World Cricket League Championship:

31 March

United Arab Emirates won by 82 runs

United Arab Emirates 292-5 in 50 overs (Rameez Shahzad 87, Muhammad Usman 58 not out; Alei Nao 2-47)

Papua New Guinea 210 all out in 47.3 overs (Tony Ura 61, Sese Bau 42; Imran Haider 4-49).

2 April

Papua New Guinea won by 26 runs

Papua New Guinea 232-8 in 50 overs (VV Morea 52, Dogodo Bau 46; Zahoor Khan 2-34)

United Arab Emirates 206 all out in 47.4 overs (Ghulam Shabber 70; Assad Vala 3-20)

ICC Intercontinental Cup:

7-10 April

United Arab Emirates won by 9 wickets

Papua New Guinea- 194 all out in 85.3 overs (Chad Soper 38, Jack Vare 38; Ahmed Raza 3-38, Qadeer Ahmed 3-43)

286 all out in 86.4 overs (Lega Siaka 142 not out, Tony Ura 35; Mohammad Naveed 4-78, Imran Haider 4-93).

United Arab Emirates 441 all out in 150.3 overs (Muhammad Usman 103, Saqlain Haider 102 not out; Mahura Dai 4-126)

42-1 in 5.5 overs (Shaiman Anwar 32 not out; N Vanua 1-10).

Daily match reports, standings and information about both competitions - the ICC World Cricket League Championship and the ICC Intercontinental Cup are available on the ICC website.