The UAE needed to restrict Saudi Arabia below 98 runs to qualify ahead of Nepal on better run rate. But Hammad Saeed scored brilliant 63 runs on Thursday at the TU Cricket Ground helping Saudi Arabia reach 115 in reply of UAE´s 168 for 8.[break]
Saudi Arabia asked the UAE to bat first. The UAE batsmen went after bowling to score as much runs as possible. However, their batting didn´t go according to their plan and they reached a modest total by their requirement with man-of-the-match Vikrant Shetty remaining unbeaten at 63 runs off 35 balls.
Shetty hit three boundaries and four sixes. Opener Faizan Asif scored 37 runs off 19 balls including four boundaries and three sixes. Rizwan Qayyum took four wickets and Khawar Sohail grabbed three wickets to slow down the UAE innings.
The UAE that needed to beat Saudi Arabia by 71 runs to reach the semifinals, opened with two spinners. However, Saudi opener Saeed, who entered the ground with a limping leg, ruined UAE hopes. He struck 63 runs off 38 balls with six sixes and four boundaries before Rohan Mustafa bowled him out.
Saudi Arabia was all out for 115 runs in 19.2 overs and lost by 53 runs. Mustafa and Khurram Khan took three wickets each.
“I wanted to give my best. I hadn´t played good enough for two years and I wanted to perform well for my country,” said Saeed, who was cheered by crowd for his every run.
“I tried my best but could not win the match for my country. Congratulations to Nepal as they are now qualified,” he added.
The UAE coach Kabir Khan lamented over the loss against Hong Kong on Tuesday. “Nothing was wrong today but everything went wrong against Hong Kong,” said Khan.
“Our bowlers did not bowl well.”
Khan expressed his disappointment over not qualifying to the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers, which will take place in the UAE on March 2012. He said that Nepal and Hong Kong both deserve to be in the semifinal of the tournament.
Hong Kong, Nepal and the UAE have equal six points on the group ´B´ points table but Hong Kong and Nepal have superior net run rates. Hong Kong is on the top and Nepal is on the second place.
Nepal will take on group ´A´ winner Afghanistan in the semifinal on Friday while Hong Kong will clash with Oman.
Oman reaches semifinal
Oman, the team coached by former Nepal coach Roy Luke Dias, defeated the Maldives by 54 runs on Thursday to qualify for the semifinal and the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers.
The Maldives won the toss and elected to field first. Man-of-the-match Amir Ali scored unbeaten 47 runs off 32 balls to take Oman to the modest 147/6 at the engineering campus ground, Lalitpur. Sultan Ahmed struck 39 runs off 30 balls. Mohamed Mahfooz took three wickets for Maldives.
Moosa Kaleem scored unbeaten 55 runs off 59 balls but could not guide the Maldives anywhere near to the target. The Maldives managed to score only 93 runs in 20 overs losing four wickets. Ajay Lalcheta took two wickets for Oman.
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