Netherlands beat UAE by 7 wickets

Mudassar Bukhari’s six-wicket haul and an unbeaten half-century from Michael Swart helped Netherlands set up a seven-wicket win over United Arab Emirates on Wednesday (January 27) in its ICC World Cricket League Championship match.

Put in to bat at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE suffered a dramatic collapse as it folded for 112 in 36 overs. Bukhari, a right-arm pacer, was the wrecker-in-chief as he ran through the UAE lineup to return 6 for 24. Netherlands then rode on Swart’s unbeaten 60 off 67 balls to complete the chase in 20.3 overs.

The win, Netherlands’s third from five matches, propelled it to second place in the points table, while UAE, with just one win, is placed seventh in the eight-team tournament.

UAE’s innings got off to a poor start as Muhammad Kaleem, the opener, was trapped in front by Bukhari in the second over. Shaiman Anwar struck four boundaries, including three successive hits to the fence, before becoming Bukhari’s second victim. Two deliveries later, Bukhari snapped up Swapnil Patil to leave UAE tottering at 25 for 3.

The 42-run fifth-wicket stand between Mohammad Shahzad (37 off 78 balls) and Saqlain Haider (33 not out off 68 balls) was the only pocket of resistance from UAE as Bukhari and Michael Rippon, the left-arm spinner, mopped up the tail.

Netherlands’s chase got off to a flying start with Swart and Stephan Myburgh putting on a 67-run opening stand in 9.1 overs. The stand was broken by Manjula Guruge, who elicited an edge off Myburgh.

Ben Cooper and Peter Borren, the captain, both fell to Ahmed Raza’s offspin, but Swart and Wesley Barresi forged an unbeaten 29-run partnership to take Netherlands across the line.

The two teams will clash again on Friday.