UAE, Netherlands pull through with last-over wins
Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates registered victories over Oman and Namibia respectively on Sunday (January 15), the second day of the Desert T20 Challenge tournament, with both matches played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Oman v Netherlands
Steady knocks from Michael Rippon and Wesley Barresi, followed by a cameo from Roelof van der Merwe helped Netherlands beat Oman by five wickets in a tightly fought Desert Twenty20 Challenge game.
Opting to bat, Oman put up a competitive 146 for 7 from 20 overs with contributions from Zeeshan Maqsood (34) and Khurram Nawaz (26*). Rippon (40 off 38), Barresi (48 off 50) and van der Merwe (35* off 15) then combined to take Netherlands home with four balls to spare.
Batting first, Oman lost Arun Poulose and Aqib Ilyas within the Power Play but small contributions from the middle order alongside a steady Maqsood, the opener, kept the team going. Netherlands kept striking regularly, but Nawaz and Naseem Khushi (25 off 19) took Oman close to 150.
Bilal Khan dismissed Stephan Myburg and Ben Cooper off successive balls in the first over of the chase, leaving Netherlands 4 for 2. However, Rippon and Barresi revived the innings with a 93-run stand for the third wicket. Both fell in a space of three balls to leave the game in the balance, but van der Merwe took over, smashing Oman's bowlers around to seal the game in the last over. Van der Merwe scored at a strike-rate in excess of 230, without hitting a single six.
Brief scores: Oman 146 for 7 in 20 overs (Zeeshan Maqsood 34, Khurram Nawaz 26, Naseem Khushi 25) lost to Netherlands (Wesley Barresi 48, Michael Rippon 40, Roelof van der Merwe 35 n.o; Mohammad Nadeem 2-24, Bilal Khan 2-33)
Namibia v United Arab Emirates
In the second match of the day, half-centuries from Rohan Mustafa and Shaiman Anwar helped UAE prevail by six wickets over Namibia in a tense, last-ball finish.
Namibia posted 152 for 7 courtesy a 42-ball 50 from JP Kotze, but UAE chased it down off the last ball after contrasting half-centuries from Mustafa (56 off 34) and Anwar (53 off 53).
Opting to bat Namibia started poorly, losing Louis van der Westhuizen and Stephan Baard, the openers, within three overs to Mohammad Naveed. The team was soon were struggling at 32 for 3, but Kotze revived the innings with a steady knock. After seeing off the initial setbacks, Kotze added 62 for the fifth wicket with Sarel Burger, the captain, to set Namibia up for a 150+ total. Kotze hit three fours and the only two sixes of the Namibia innings, while Naveed finished with three wickets for UAE.
UAE lost Ghulam Shabber, the opener, in the fourth over but by then, there was already 31 on the board. Mustafa and Anwar extended the good start and added 64 for the second wicket in just 49 balls. Mustafa was the aggressor, smashing seven fours and a six, while Anwar played the sheet anchor’s role. Mustafa fell in the 13th over with UAE still needing 58 runs, but Anwar added 43 for the third wicket with Rameez Shahzad.
Shahzad's run out in the 19th over made the chase tense, but Anwar nearly stayed till the end to guide the side home. He too was run out, dismissed off the penultimate ball of the match, but Muhammad Usman hit the one run needed off the last ball to seal victory.
Brief scores: Namibia 152 for 7 in 20 overs (JP Kotze 50, Sarel Burger 32; Mohammad Naveed 3 for 35, Zahoor Farooqi 2 for 26) lost to UAE 153 for 4 in 20 overs (Rohan Mustafa 56, Shaiman Anwar 53)
