UAE beat Namibia in Intercontinental Cup thriller

UAE's Mohammad Naveed celebrates after taking a wicket (Photo courtesy ICC)

After a topsy-turvy second day, the UAE emerged on top with a 34-run win over hosts Namibia on the third day in the ICC Intercontinental Cup clash at the Wanderers Cricket Ground in Windhoek, Namibia, on Monday. 
The Rohan Mustafa-led team was kept on tenterhooks by the last pair of Namibians as they added 46 runs before Shaiman Anwar ended the resistance by running out number ten batsman Bernard Scholtz (28, 87 minutes, 77 balls, four 4s). 
Earlier, the day two had seen 16 wickets tumble as the UAE seem to have frittered away the 57-run first innings advantage. 
Only Gerhard Erasmus (78 not out, 139 minutes, 112 balls, five 4s and two 6s) and Craig Williams (25, 46 minutes, 34 balls, two 4s, on 6) looked like giving the home team some respectability before they conceded a 57-run first innings lead to UAE. 
Ahmed Raza was the star performer for the UAE as he removed top three Namibian batsmen for 92. Then he came back to prevent the Namibian tail from rallying to finish with six first innings wickets for 61 runs. Seamer Mohammed Naveed and right-arm orthodox leg spinner Imran Haider chipped in with two wickets each. 
The UAE lost six wickets for 116 by the end of the second day and they failed further on the morning of the third day on Monday when Raza fell without adding to his overnight score of 14. However, wicketkeeper Saqlain Haider added valuable 21 runs to his overnight score of 9.
He stitched together two handy partnerships, adding 19 for the eighth wicket with Imran Haider (13) and did the bulk of the scoring in a 21-run stand for the 10th wicket with Qadeer Ahmed (0*), before becoming Craig Williams's fifth victim for 29. Williams ended with 5 for 22. 
On Monday, the UAE spinners hunted in a pack as all five bowlers employed by skipper Mustafa were successful with the captain taking most (3-28) wickets. At 134 for 9, victory seemed near at hand for the visiting side, but the last-wicket Namibian pair of Scholtz and Burger (19 not out, 70 minutes, 56 balls, two 4s) first frustrated the bowlers and then threatened to take the game away. However, their 46-run stand was brought to a close through a run out.
Mustafa, who contributed decent hands of 36 and 29 in his two digs, was the leading wicket-taker with 3 for 38. Raza and Haider took two apiece, while Qadeer and Mohammad Naveed had one wicket each.
With just one win from six games in this edition of the Intercontinental Cup, Namibia, with 27 points, will remain at the bottom of the table.
The UAE, who also began the game with 27 points from five matches, earned 14 points through their second outright win and has jumped to the No. 4 position, but with two games between other competing teams still to go, it could slip lower. 

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