ICC Intercontinental Cup and Shield

CANADA v UNITED ARAB EMIRATES After their stubborn display against Scotland at Ayr, the United Arab Emirates reverted to type for matches away from home. Their batsmen showed their inability to cope with pace bowling under conditions favouring swing and bounce, whilst their bowlers were unable to extract the same degree of life from the pitch. Canada were rarely troubled, despite the absence of John Davison and Ian Billcliff and being further weakened by the lack of Ashish Bagai (work commitments) and Umar Bhatti (injured in the match against The Netherlands). The Canadians called on Australian-born Steve Welsh to replace Umar Bhatti and he produced a spell of new-ball bowling on the first morning that was virtually unplayable, taking five wickets for seven runs in just seven overs. The Emirates chose to bat and were all out just before tea in the 40th over. The only resistance was a sixth-wicket partnership of 41 between Gayan Silva and Shadeep Silva. Gayan Silva resisted throughout the morning session and well into the afternoon, being the eighth to be dismissed after batting for two hours and 39 minutes. Canada initially fared no better losing both openers for only three runs, but, thereafter, Trevin Bastiampillai and Qaiser Ali batted patiently until tea and then raised the scoring rate. Qaiser Ali’s 42 runs dominated the third-wicket partnership but his contribution ended when he edged a delivery from Zahid Shah on to his stumps. Hemnarine Chattergoon fell leg-before to Javed Ismail but Asif Mulla and Bastiampillai took Canada into a first innings lead before the close. The overnight batsmen increased their partnership to 141 in the first hour before Mulla edged Mohammad Tauqir to the wicketkeeper. Bastiampillai went in similar fashion, chasing a widish ball from Javed Ismail to end an innings of nearly five hours. He faced 209 balls and, although his strike-rate was only 33.9, his 71 runs laid a sound foundation for Canada’s innings. Sunil Dhaniram and Welsh took the home side to 244 for six at lunch and they continued in the same vein after the interval, Dhaniram making the runs and Welsh defending. After a partnership of 30, Welsh became wicketkeeper Gayan Silva’s third victim. When Durand Soraine failed to score, a moderate Canadian lead looked likely, but Kevin Sandher, after his half-century against The Netherlands, played another splendid tail-end innings. He and Dhaniram made light of the Emirates’ bowlers, putting on 180 for the ninth wicket in just over two and a half hours. Dhaniram made his maiden first-class hundred and Sandher another half-century; their strike rates were 82.4 and 55.6 respectively. Canada reached 450 and just as a declaration was expected, Sandher was bowled by Zahid Shah and Henry Osinde fell first ball, hitting Zahid Shah in the air to the substitute fielder at mid off. Dhaniram’s unbeaten 141 contained 25 fours. Faced with 15 overs before the close, the Emirates lost Gayan Silva, caught by wicketkeeper Mulla, after the ball had first hit the batsman’s gloves and then his helmet. It was questionable whether Gayan Silva should have opened the batting after having spent nearly eight and a half hours in the field behind the stumps. The Emirates ended the second day 298 runs behind with nine wickets in hand. The third day began with dark clouds in the sky and thunderstorms forecast. After nine balls had been bowled, there was a 42-minute delay for rain. On resumption, Arshad Ali and Shadeep Silva seemed untroubled adding 59 runs, but Arshad Ali fell to a spectacular catch by Mulla to a leg-side delivery from Osinde which just touched the batsman’s gloves. With their captain gone, the Emirates seemed to lose heart as Welsh again enjoyed the conditions. Four wickets were down for 90 at lunch and Welsh and Soraine, with his medium pace, finished the match soon after. The Emirates lost their last nine wickets for 51 runs, the last eight falling for 25 in yet another miserable display. Despite Sunil Dhaniram’s dominating innings, Steven Welsh deservedly obtained the Man-of-the-Match award for his match figures of 12 wickets for 93 runs. 120 ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08