ICC Intercontinental Cup and Shield

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES v HONG KONG Batting first on winning the toss, Hong Kong set out to overcome their inexperience of three-day cricket by showing that their batsmen could play themselves in and pace an innings. The first-wicket stand lasted into the eleventh over but by the time Mark Eames was caught by the wicketkeeper only 16 runs had been scored, a strike rate of 25.8. The innings continued in this vein throughout but, unfortunately, all the batsmen found runs difficult to make and only Adam Gunthorpe and Ilyas Gul got into double figures. A total of 127 was a somewhat dismal performance and it was surprising that the Emirates required seven bowlers to dismiss the opposition. The two spinners, Mohammad Tauqir (off breaks) and Khurram Khan (slow left-arm), did most of the damage, accounting for Hong Kong’s middle order. Despite home advantage and therefore presumed familiarity with the conditions, the Emirates were no more effective when it came their turn to bat, with the first three wickets falling for 21 runs. The only consolation for spectators was that when Khurram Khan came in, the cricket was less tedious; his 56 was made at a strike rate of 72.7 and contained eight fours and one six. He was eventually bowled by Ilyas Gul whose off spin troubled most of the Emirates’ players. The end of a dull first day saw the Emirates one run behind with three wickets in hand. Worse was to follow for the Emirates on the second morning. Although the innings lasted a further ten overs and four balls, only one run was added to level the scores. In addition to Ilyas Gul’s impressive performance of five wickets for 16, Khalid Khan (right-arm medium fast) bowled exceptionally well for a return of three wickets for 24. After losing Tabarak Dar with the score at 6, Tim Smart and Gunthorpe added 50 at a strike rate of 43.1, before Smart offered a catch off the bowling of Khurram Khan. Eames gave some support to Gunthorpe before becoming another victim of Khurram Khan. Manoj Cheruparambil helped take the score to 100 but, once Gunthorpe left, only Ilyas Gul offered much resistance. As was the case with the Emirates in their first innings, Hong Kong fell victim to the combination of pace (Ali Asad) and spin (Khurram Khan). As well as posing problems for the batsmen, these two gave wicketkeeper, Mohammad Taskeen, a torrid time as he conceded 22 byes. A closely-fought match looked in prospect when Asghar Ali was leg-before to Khalid Khan in the fourth over but, suddenly, the Emirates batting found form and Hong Kong’s bowling deteriorated. After useful starts from Arshad Ali and Ahmed Nadeem, Syed Maqsood and Khurram Khan finished the day with an undefeated partnership of 49 to leave the Emirates well placed for victory. Hong Kong capitulated surprisingly quickly on the third morning when only eight overs were needed to score the remaining 41 runs. Syed Maqsood and Khurram Khan extended their partnership to an undefeated 90 made at an entertaining strike rate of 64.2. After the tedium of the first day and a half, the Emirates finished off the match in refreshing style, the ease of victory failing to reflect how hard Hong Kong had fought in the early stages. Khurram Khan was the Man of the Match for his two half-centuries (one undefeated) and his five wickets. As is often the case, an equally impressive performance on the losing side failed to get recognition. Spare a thought for Ilyas Gul who in two innings made 65 runs without being dismissed with a strike rate of 44.2 and nine fours, and took six wickets for 56 runs. 52 ICC Intercontinental Cup 2005