Khurram Khan produced another wonderful inning to help the UAE secure a 22 run victory over Hong Kong and book their place in the 2015 Cricket World Cup Qualifier Super Six round.
After losing out on direct qualification for the 2015 World Cup by a single point to Afghanistan in the ICC World Cricket League, the UAE were forced to head to New Zealand for a second chance of securing a place in the 50-over competition.
Having won their first two matches in comfortable fashion against Canada and Nepal, they were then crushed by Scotland, meaning that they needed to secure a win against table-topping Hong Kong to secure their place in the Super Six.
Having won the toss and choosing to bat, an outstanding performance from captain Khan and fast bowler Munjula Guruge saw the UAE secure an impressive victory that gives them a chance to qualify for their first ever ICC World Cup.
Khan excelled with the bat yet again, scoring 78 off 68 balls to continue his brilliant form. The destructive batsman scoring 275 runs in just four matches.
Amjad Ali (49) was left a single run shy of his half century after being dismissed by a Haseeb Amjad catch, with the bowler later claiming three wickets.
Rohan Mustafa (32) and Mohammed Naveed (29) both contributed with the bat before claiming three and one wicket respectively.
Despite Hong Kong restricting the UAE to 249 all out in 48.1 overs, they were unable to reach their target as they were eventually bowled out for 227.
Mark Chapman top scored for Hong Kong, scoring 59 from 68 deliveries, while Babar Hayat (46) kept the Asian country in contention with 46 not out.
Chapman was eventually caught by Shaiman Anwar off the bowling of Gurunge whose four wickets cost just 39 runs.
Despite Hayat remaining at the crease, he would eventually run out of partners as the UAE picked up wickets at regular intervals to secure their place in the Super Six round which begins on Sunday.
In their first fixture, the UAE will face Nambia. The other countries that qualified for the playoffs are Scotland and Hong Kong from Group A, while Papua New Guinea, Namibia and Kenya advanced from Group B.
The top two teams will meet in the final on Saturday but more importantly they will both qualify to play at the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
