0
0
United Arab Emirates vs Nepal | Tri-Nation T20I
United Arab Emirates will play Nepal in the Tri-Nation T20I series final on Friday. UAE advanced to the finals despite losing to Hong Kong by 69 runs in the last group stage game.
Hong Kong batted first at the Mulpani cricket ground, amassing a formidable total of 212 for 3, the series’ second-highest total.
The opener, Martin Coetzee, got things going quickly, scoring 86 runs off 55 deliveries, including 10 fours and four sixes. In just 67 deliveries, Coetzee and Anshuman Rath struck up an incredible 106 runs for the second wicket.
Babar Hayat made a brief appearance and quickly reached a half-century off of 15 balls. He finished unbeaten at 60 runs off of 20 balls with five sixes and boundaries.
In response, the UAE openers struggled to get off to a good start. In the first over, skipper Muhammad Waseem was dismissed for 1(3). Similarly, Vriitya Aravind 7(8) and Asif Khan 0 (2) were out for 19 runs in 3.2 overs.
Alishan Sharafu scored 30 runs off 21 deliveries, while Basil Hameed and Nilansh Keswani scored 30 and 31 runs, respectively, to remain unbeaten. The pair put on a 60-run stand for the sixth wicket. They were, however, unable to reach the target and were restricted for 143 runs despite having five wickets in hand.
Khan, Ehsan Ayush Shukla, Nasrulla Rana, and Yasim Murtaza each had one wicket.
Despite the defeat, the UAE had a lucky break, outscoring Hong Kong in net runrate and securing a spot in the final against the hosts. Nepal finished first in the table with four wins from four matches, while the UAE and Hong Kong each managed one win.
