ICC Intercontinental Cup and Shield

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES v NAMIBIA Batting first, Namibia found run-scoring difficult on a slow pitch from which the ball did not come on to the bat. The right-arm pace of Fahad Alhashmi accounted for the first three wickets to fall and when Amjad Javed, on first change, picked up two quick wickets, Namibia were 52 for five. Of the top order, only Jan-Berrie Burger adjusted to the conditions, but when he was joined by Tobias Verwey some stability was provided with a stand of 69. The left-arm spin of Khurram Khan broke the partnership, after which Ahmed Raza, another left-arm spinner, proved too good for the tail. Jan-Berrie Burger was the eighth wicket to fall, bowled by the off spin of Arshad Ali for a fine 68, made at a strike rate of 80.0 and containing five fours. Namibia’s opening bowlers found the conditions equally helpful. The Emirates lost their first two wickets for 7 runs, the third fell with the score at 16, and at 36 for five, they were faring no better than the Namibians. Saqib Ali held firm, however, and Amjad Ali assisted in a partnership of 42 before he became a victim of Louis Burger, as Namibia rotated their bowlers to give Kola Burger and Louis Klazinga, who had done most of the damage, a respite. Saqib Ali then found support from Ahmed Raza until the close, by which time the pair had added 69 runs for for the seventh wicket. Saqib Ali ended the day on 72 not out which included ten fours and one six. Saqib Ali and Ahmed Raza extended their partnership to 86 on the second day, which brought the Emirates level with Namibia’s first-innings score. Ahmed Raza then seem to lose concentration and fell to a poor shot off the bowling of Klazinga. Zahid Shah gave Saqib Ali valuable further support, taking the score past 200 and allowing Saqib Ali to reach his century. Soon after this, his innings was ended by an off break from Michael Durant and Jan-Berrie Burger dismissed the tail as the Emirates lost their last three wickets for just 5 runs. Saqib Ali made 46% of his team’s total at a strike rate of 56.5, hitting 14 fours and one six. Namibia adjusted to the conditions second time round and opened with a partnership of 81. Khurram Khan then bowled Jan-Berrie Burger. Durant and Dewald Botha painstakingly advanced the score to 108 before Arshad Ali claimed Durant’s wicket, after he had managed to accumulate just 2 runs from 62 balls faced. Gerrie Snyman also had difficulty piercing the field and managed, for him, a highly restrained strike rate of 35.8, before being bowled by Zahid Shah in the last over of the day. By this time, Namibia had a lead of 104 runs with seven wickets in hand and Botha looking well set. Botha reached his century on the third morning but, on 104, became the first wicket to fall as Khurram Khan extracted turn from the pitch. Botha had struck 12 fours and one six in a patient innings with a strike rate of 46.6. Louis Burger was soon deceived by Khurram Khan to position the match as evenly poised, with half of Namibia’s wickets down for 207. On a pitch favouring spin, the Emirates used left-armers at both ends but, despite long spells, they were unable to take command. Bjorn Kotze provided the anchor and Verwey and Kola Burger the aggression. Verwey had a strike rate of 50.5 in a partnership of 62, but it was Kola Burger who took the match away from the Emirates’ grasp. Hitting ten fours and two sixes in an innings of 76 off 102 balls, he and Kotze added 107 for the eighth wicket. After Kola Burger’s dismissal, Kotze helped the tail put on a further 19 before being the last man out for a valuable 66 runs made off 224 balls. Khurram Khan was rewarded with six wickets for his 42 overs but his partner, Ahmed Raza, bowled equally well for only one wicket, that of Kotze, in his 32nd over. With a lead of 336, Namibia had more than compensated for their disastrous batting on the first day and remained in the ascendancy as Klazinga dismissed both openers. Gayan Silva and Owais Hameed, promoted as nightwatchman, survived, but at the close, the Emirates still required another 293 runs for victory. The Emirates just could not get going on the last morning and lost wickets regularly, each time ending promising partnerships. The pace of Klazinga and the left-arm spin of Jan-Berrie Burger looked set to take Namibia to a comfortable win as the Emirates lost six wickets for 103. Khurram Khan and Amjad Ali fought back strongly with a partnership of 127 but, just as the Emirates bought the target within reach and Amjad Ali had reached a well-deserved half-century, Jan-Berrie Burger made the breakthrough Namibia needed. Kola Burger trapped Khurram Khan leg-before, three runs short of a hundred and Jan-Berrie Burger ended Ahmed Raza’s late resistance to complete his first five-wicket return in first-class cricket. A remarkable match, dominated over the last two days by left-arm spin saw Namibia win by 40 runs. Despite the efforts of Saqib Ali and Khurram Khan, Jan-Berrie Burger was nominated Man of the Match. 138 ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08