A great spell of fast bowling by Umaid Asif inspired Pakistan-A to a comfortable eight-wicket triumph over New Zealand-A at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates on Friday.
By Jawad Hussain
KARACHI, Oct. 12, 2018 (News925) – A great spell of fast bowling by Umaid Asif inspired Pakistan-A to a comfortable eight-wicket triumph over New Zealand-A at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates on Friday.
Umaid Asif captured a five-wicket haul for just 20 runs while his fast bowling mates Shaheen Shah Afridi (2/12) and Waqas Maqsood (2/7) also bowled exceedingly well to shorten the Kiwis’ stay in the middle drastically.
Only two of the New Zealand-A’s batsmen managed to enter the double figures. Skipper Corey Anderson (16 off 12 – 1 four, 1 six) and Tim Seifert (26 off 17 – 5 fours) offered some resistance but other Kiwi batsmen were not really in a mood to challenge the Pakistani bowling might which was ably led by paceman Umaid Asif.
New Zealand-A skittled for a paltry 65 runs from 12.2 overs, thereby folding against a disciplined bowling performance by all the four Pakistani bowlers. Left-arm off-spinner Raza Hasan (1/23) also bowled well on his return for a doping ban. All the four bowlers complemented each other and helped Umaid Asif to take the leading role.
The 66-run target was never going to trouble the Pakistani batting line-up. Skipper Umar Amin (20 off 21 – 3 fours) made his intentions clear right from the start. Despite losing his opening partner Sahibzada Farhan (1 off 5) to a run-out, the Pakistani captain continued playing his shots freely. He found a positive partner in Iftikhar Ahmed (26* off 27 – 4 fours) who completed the victory in presence of Hussain Talat (16* off 24 – 2 fours) in just 12.5 overs. The duo contributed 44 runs in the unbeaten third wicket partnership, which gave Pakistan a 1-0 advantage in the three-match series.
The second unofficial T20 between Pakistan-A and New Zealand-A will be played at the same venue on October 15 whereas the series finale will be played at the same ground on October 17.
The three-match unofficial T20 series will be followed by a three-match unofficial One-Day series. All the three matches will be played at Abu Dhabi on October 20, 23, and 25.
The New Zealand-A Tour to the United Arab Emirates will conclude with a two-match unofficial Test series. The first unofficial Test will be played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium from October 25. The second unofficial Test will be played at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium from November 5.
