UAE qualify for Super Four stage as Afghanistan beat Scotland
… Ireland and Kenya bounce back with strong performances
AFGHANISTAN continued their giant-killing run in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier when they defeated third-seed Scotland by 14 runs to take a big step forward in their quest to qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 2010 that will be staged in the West Indies from April 30 to May 16.
After having accounted for top-seed and defending joint-champion Ireland by 13 runs on the opening day of the tournament on Tuesday, Afghanistan successfully defended a 132-run target to restrict Scotland to 117-9 and leave the European side winless after two matches.
Opener Noor Ali scored 42 off 37 balls and Mohammad Shahzad scored 30 as Afghanistan collected 34 runs off the last 24 balls to finish at 131-7. In turn, Scotland recovered from 8-2 to 74-2 before they lost seven wickets for 43 runs in just six overs to finish at 117-9.
In another Group A match, Ireland bounced back like a true champion when they hammered the United States of America (USA) by 78 runs in Abu Dhabi.
Boundaries rained as Ireland batted the USA out of the match by posting 202-4 having elected to bat first.
Niall O’Brien slapped 10 fours and two sixes in his 50-ball 84, Alex Cusack clubbed two fours and two sixes in a 30-ball 46 and captain William Porterfield belted five fours and a six in a 28-ball 45.
Ireland’s fast bowler Peter Connell then took three wickets in six balls as the USA slipped to 11-5 and then 25-6 before finishing at 124-6, thanks to Aditya Thyagarajan’s 72 not out on his debut and Orlando Baker’s 28 not out as the two batsmen added 99 runs for the unfinished seventh wicket in 83 balls.
Connell finished with figures of 4-0-14-4 but couldn’t deny O’Brien from winning a well-deserved man-of-the-match award.
These victories for Afghanistan and Ireland have set-up an intriguing last day of Group A matches in Dubai today when Afghanistan take on the USA and Ireland face Scotland.
If Afghanistan beat the USA and Scotland defeat Ireland, then the USA, Scotland and Ireland will be locked on two points each with net run-rate deciding which team joins Afghanistan in the Super Four stage from Group A.
However, if the USA beat Afghanistan by a big margin and Ireland defeat Scotland, then the net run-rate will again come into play as Afghanistan, the USA and Ireland will be tied with two wins each.
After two matches, Afghanistan is on four points with a net run-rate of +0.675 while Ireland and the USA are on two points each. However, Ireland have a superior net run-rate of +1.625 while the USA have a net run-rate of -1.795.
Hosts, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), became the first side to be sure of a place in the Super Four stage when they defeated defending joint-champions the Netherlands by six wickets in Dubai.
An unbroken 101-run fifth-wicket partnership between Naeemuddin Aslam and captain Khurram Khan steered the UAE to victory after the home side were in dire straits at 67-4 off 7.3 overs while chasing 165 for victory.
Naeemuddin scored an unbeaten 60 off 49 balls with two fours and two sixes while Khurram remained not out on 52 that came off 35 balls and included five fours.
A highly entertaining 76 from Daan van Bunge was the cornerstone of the Netherlands’ 164-8 after it had slumped from 65-2 to 66-5 in a space of six deliveries. Van Bunge dominated an 87-run sixth-wicket partnership with captain Peter Borren who scored 32 not out.
UAE’s fast bowler Qasim Zubai bowled brilliantly at the top and in the death overs and was rewarded with excellent figures of 4-1-24-5.
Kenya also recovered well after suffering a shock 15-run defeat by the UAE on the opening day on Tuesday by giving  Canada a cricket lesson while racing to an easy nine-wicket victory. The defeat also ended Canada’s hopes of earning a ticket to the West Indies after they had lost to the Netherlands by six wickets on Tuesday.
Canada once again lost John Davison in the first over but recovered to reach 138-9 with captain Ashish Bagai top-scoring on 36.
The target proved too small for a punishing Alex Obanda and Steve Tikolo who put on 126 runs for the first wicket off only 76 balls to lay the foundation of a convincing victory.
Obanda scored a 48-ball 79 that included 11 fours and a six with his half-century coming off only 23 balls. Obanda joins Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan of Sri Lanka, Chris Gayle of the West Indies and New Zealand’s Aaron Redmond who share the record of the quickest T20 International half-century from 23 balls.
Tikolo was also ruthless when he hit five fours and a six in a 36-ball 50.
While the UAE have qualified from Group B, the winner from the Kenya and the Netherlands match in Abu Dhabi today will decide which is the other team that goes through to the Super Four stage which will played in Dubai tomorrow and Saturday.
Scores in brief:
Group A
Afghanistan beat Scotland by 14 runs at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Afghanistan 131-7, 20 overs (Noor Ali 42, Mohammad Shahzad 30; Kyle Coetzer 3-25, Gordon Drummond 2-14)
Scotland 119-9, 20 overs (Neil McCallum 38, Gavin Hamilton 32; Hamid Hassan 3-32, Mohammad Nabi 2-27)
Ireland beat the USA by 78 runs at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Ireland 202-4, 20 overs (Niall O’Brien 84, Alex Cusack 46, William Porterfield 45; Timroy Allen 2-29)
USA 124-6, 20 overs (Aditya Thyagarajan 72 not out; Peter Connell 4-14, Trent Johnston 2-17)
Group B
Kenya beat Canada by nine wickets at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Sports City
Canada 138-9, 20 overs (Ashish Bagai 36, Rizwan Cheema 32, Geoff Barnett 30; Nehemiah Odhiambo 3-16, Jimmy Kamande 2-18)
Kenya 141-1, 14.5 overs (Alex Obanda 79, Steve Tikolo 50 not out)
UAE beat the Netherlands by six wickets at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Sports City.
Netherlands 164-8, 20 overs (Daan van Bunge 76; Qasim Zubair 5-26)
UAE 168-4, 18.5 overs (Naeemuddin Aslam 60 not out, Khurram Khan 52 not out)
Fixtures for Thursday
Canada v UAE (1000-1300), Abu Dhabi Cricket Stadium; Afghanistan v USA (1200-1500), Dubai International Cricket Stadium; Netherlands v Kenya (1400-1700), Abu Dhabi Cricket Stadium; Ireland v Scotland (1600-1900), Dubai International Cricket Stadium.