The UAE ended their ACC U19 Premier League campaign with a crushing eight wicket win over Kuwait on Thursday, ensuring Aaqib Javed’s men finished fourth in the competition.
Despite previously targeting a top-two finish in Malaysia, the UAE were comfortably beaten by Nepal, eventual winners Afghanistan and the hosts.
#ACCU19 Premier League 2015: 1st: Afghanistan 2nd: Nepal 3rd: Malaysia 4th: UAE 5th: Kuwait 6th: Saudi Arabia Top 3 qualified for #AsiaCup
— Associate Cricket (@AssociateCric) September 3, 2015
In each of those defeats the UAE failed to pass 100 with the bat and were bowled out for scores of 50, 88 and 53 respectively as their batsmen failed to cope with the transition into international 50-over cricket.
There was joy in the form of a resounding win over Saudi Arabia and their final outing destruction of the Kuwaitis.
Having won the toss, Kuwait decided to bat at Kuala Lumpur’s Bayuemas Oval – a decision they would later regret.
Opening bowlers Yodhin Punja (5-38) and Ahsan Ali Khan (5-10) would account for all 10 wickets as the pair ripped through the Kuwait batting order, bowling them out for just 60 in 21.1 overs.
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Captain Waruna Perera’s second-ball duck would have worried the UAE coaching staff of a fourth collapse of the tournament but Zafri Zafardeen (31) and Ethan Holmes (21*) secured an eight-wicket victory as the UAE chased down the miserly total in just 7.4 overs.
While the tournament was a disappointing one for the UAE, it was a memorable one for vice-captain Punja who ended the competition as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker. Holmes was the UAE’s highest run-scorer with 97 across the five matches, including 67 against the Saudis.
It is a fair reflection of the side’s efforts, Punja and the bowlers regularly taking wickets while the batsmen struggled to apply themselves in the middle.
