ICC Intercontinental Cup and Shield

BERMUDA v UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Bermuda’s cricket went from abysmal to downright embarrassing as, electing to bat first, they were dismissed for 56 in the 32nd over. Admittedly they had selected a young side with four debutants at first-class level, but there was no excuse for the more experienced upper order playing so badly. Fiqre Crockwell was bowled in the second over and Steven Outerbridge and David Hemp both fell to poor shots. The situation got even worse when the Emirates changed from pace to spin and the two left-armers, Shadeep Silva and Ahmed Raza, showed just how clueless Bermuda’s players were against the turning ball. Shadeep Silva’s figures were particularly impressive, his three wickets costing only 4 runs off six overs. A defiant 29 by Chris Foggo ensured that Bermuda got close to the half-century but, on 46, he and Stefan Kelly fell in consecutive balls to Ahmed Raza. Joshua Gilbert prevented the hat-trick and he and Jordan DeSilva added 10 runs in ten overs, but Amjad Javed and an unnecessary run-out brought the innings to a close. Bermuda fared no better in the field as Abdul Rehman and Arshad Ali took advantage of good batting conditions and wayward bowling to open with a stand of 94. Abdul Rehman fell to Rodney Trott, the best of the bowlers, and his spin partner Gilbert accounted for Khurram Khan. Arshad Ali and Saqib Ali then put on 52 before the close, by which time Arshad Ali had amassed 75 with two fours and one six. The overnight pair added a further 28 on the second morning before Saqib Ali fell to Gilbert to become the first of his three wickets. On a good pitch and with the Emirates playing aggressively, Trott and Gilbert with their off spin did extremely well to contain the run rate and pick up regular wickets. Saqib Ali and Swapnil Patil both got into the thirties, but were unable to go on to a big score, and Arshad Ali was kept to a strike rate of 45.3 before becoming the fourth wicket to fall. With a lead of 300, Khurram Khan chose to declare rather than continue somewhat slowly to a larger total. Foggo and Crockwell began cautiously with 20 runs off the first ten overs before the latter gave a catch to Saqib Ali off Qasim Zubair. Foggo and Outerbridge then proceeded to show that Bermuda could play effective four-day cricket by adding 87 runs and remaining undefeated at the close. The home side put on a good display on the third morning. Foggo and Outerbridge extended their stand to 114 but, before the first hour was over, Foggo had played a poor shot to give a catch to Amjad Ali in the gully and Outerbridge had holed out to Tahir Butt at deep square leg off Arshad Ali’s first ball. Hemp and Irving Romaine added 98 for the fourth wicket and dominated proceedings to such an extent that the Emirates were forced to use eight bowlers. Such was the frustration of the Emirates at not being able to make the breakthrough that their captain, Khurram Khan, entered into a short confrontation with the umpires after they had turned down a catch because the fielder had stepped over the boundary while trying to hold on to the ball. At 263 for three, it looked possible that Bermuda might be able to bat into the fourth day, make a large score and even save the game. It was not to be, however, as Romaine lost concentration, played a wild shot at Ahmed Raza and, temporarily losing his balance, was smartly stumped by Swapnil Patil. Some felt the decision was marginal and that Romaine was always within his ground. The loss of this wicket exposed the less experienced middle and lower order to the left-arm spin trio of Shadeep Silva, Ahmed Raza and Khurram Khan. Ahmed Raza was easily the most dangerous, maintaining a consistent line and length and bowling at least one virtually unplayable ball per over. He took four wickets. In contrast, Shadeep Silva was unable to secure any, yet his conceding of only 16 runs in fifteen overs played a major role in undermining the confidence of the batsmen. Hemp kept going until the score reached 309 but was unable achieve a century, falling to Saqib Ali on 84, an innings that contained ten fours. Bermuda’s last seven wickets fell for only 69 runs. The task facing the Emirates was a mere formality, only 33 runs needed to win. They lost one wicket in the process, Abdul Rehman attempting a suicidal single. 234 ICC Intercontinental Shield 2009-10