UAE completed a remarkable turnaround as they qualified for the ICC World T20 2022 in Australia by beating Nepal while Ireland also qualified by beating Oman.
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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been at the crossroads of its cricketing history for a long time. In October 2019, UAE was reeling with the bans on Amir Hayat and Ashfaq Ahmed for match-fixing. The eight-year ban imposed on them by the ICC for accepting bribes from an Indian bookie saw the UAE cricket team collapse. But, in 2022, the UAE team has made massive strides. In the recently concluded Under-19 World Cup 2022, UAE was crowned plate champions for the first time in history.
Now, in February 2022, UAE has completed one of the greatest turnarounds in its history. They defeated Nepal in the semifinals to secure a return to the ICC World T20 for the first time since 2014. UAE had played in the ICC World T20 qualifiers in 2014 but they could not make it to the main event. On the other hand, Ireland defeated Oman to book their entry into the 2022 ICC World T20 which will be played in Australia.
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UAE chose to bat but they lost Chirag Suri in the second over for 4. But, keeper Vriitya Aravind blasted five fours and three sixes in his knock of 46 off 23 balls. Muhammad Waseem held firm and notched up a fine 70 off 48 balls which included four boundaries and four sixes. Wasem’s knock helped UAE end on 175/7 after 20 overs. However, Nepal was totally undone by the brilliance of skipper Ahmed Raza.
Raza took 5/19 in four overs and he got great support from Junaid Siddique who took three wickets. Zahoor Khan and Rohan Mustafa took a wicket apiece and despite a strong knock from Dipendra Singh Airee, Nepal fell short by 68 runs to bow out of contention.
Ireland, on the other hand, dented Oman’s chances of qualifying for a third straight ICC World T20 after they lost in the semi-final of the qualifier. Gareth Delany and Harry Tector chipped in with vital knocks of 47 and 35. Andy McBrine then chipped in with a brilliant 35 off 21 balls at the end as Ireland finished on 165/7. Ireland had lost three wickets for four runs but McBrine ensured that this would not hurt them.
Ireland was boosted by the performance by McBrine as they put in a splendid all-round display. Shoaib Khan and Zeeshan Maqsood kept Oman in the hunt with a 40-run stand after losing two early wickets. But, Simi Singh took 3/20 and two wickets from McBrine, Craig Young and Joshua Little wrecked Oman.
