Beyond the Test World
Afghanistan end Nepal Under-19 dominance
Afghanistan's cricketing fairytale just keeping rolling along, and in front of hundreds of supporters they beat Nepal to reach the final of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
 | ||
|
| ||
|
|
|
Nepal batted on winning the toss, but while the first two overs produced 23 runs, two wickets fell and thereafter the innings struggled for any momentum. Only Prithu Baskota looked to take the attack to the bowlers, hammering three sixes on his way to 81. Some late hitting helped Nepal to 186 for 8, with 73 coming off the last ten overs after they had been 113 for 6.
Afghanistan also wobbled early on, and at 54 for 3 in the 16th over, Nepal appeared to be back on track. But Man of the Match Aimal Wafa (61*) and Asgher Hotak (478) came together at 84 for 4 and not only consolidated but also kept up with the required rate, adding an unbeaten 106 for the fifth wicket to see their side home.
There was less drama in the other semi-final where Hong Kong beat Qatar by 23 runs, despite only making 161 themselves.
Full postACC Under-19 Elite Cup - 5th day
Nepal, the odds-on favourites who have dominated recent Asian Cricket Council Under-19 tournaments, were brought down to earth with a bump by Hong Kong who sent them crashing to a 36-run defeat
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Nepal, the odds-on favourites who have dominated recent Asian Cricket Council Under-19 tournaments, were brought down to earth with a bump by Hong Kong who sent them crashing to a 36-run defeat. The result means both teams go through to the semi-finals.
Irfan Ahmed was the star of the show for Hong Kong, thumping 103 off 101 balls in a score of 193 for 7. Nepal struggled from the off and were bowled out for 157, Irfan Ahmed making the Man-of-the-Match adjudication a formality with 3 for 72 while Shakeel Haq took 4 for 17.
In the other Group A match, Singapore beat Saudi Arabia by 39 runs.
With Afghanistan already through from Group B, the other place was between UAE and Qatar, and it was Qatar who went through, bowling Bhutan out for 69 and coasting to a nine-wicket win - UAE’s 130-run defeat of Oman wasn’t enough.
Afghanistan will play a shell-shocked Nepal, while Hong Kong meet Qatar
Full postACC news
Nepal, the odds-on favourites who have dominated recent Asian Cricket Council Under-19 tournaments, were brought down to earth with a bump by Hong Kong who sent them crashing to a 36-run defeat
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Nepal, the odds-on favourites who have dominated recent Asian Cricket Council Under-19 tournaments, were brought down to earth with a bump by Hong Kong who sent them crashing to a 36-run defeat. The result means both teams go through to the semi-finals.
Irfan Ahmed was the star of the show for Hong Kong, thumping 103 off 101 balls in a score of 193 for 7. Nepal struggled from the off and were bowled out for 157, Irfan Ahmed making the Man-of-the-Match adjudication a formality with 3 for 72 while Shakeel Haq took 4 for 17.
In the other Group A match, Singapore beat Saudi Arabia by 39 runs.
With Afghanistan already through from Group B, the other place was between UAE and Qatar, and it was Qatar who went through, bowling Bhutan out for 69 and coasting to a nine-wicket win - UAE's 130-run defeat of Oman wasn't enough.
Afghanistan will play a shell-shocked Nepal, while Hong Kong meet Qatar
Full postThe business magic of Sharad Ghai
This hardly needs comment
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
|
| ||
|
| ||
|
|
|
“After ending his contractual obligation to pay the salaries of Kenya cricket players after the end of the shenanigans in 2006 the country’s performance has been dismal. But the indefatigable Ghai, a former Kenya table tennis international, could as well have been weaving his business magic in any other sport outside cricket.
“He has a passion for all top-flight competition -- from rugby football, swimming, volleyball and football. In a short stint, he involved himself with the national football team, Harambee Stars, hoping, then, to put the players on the same professional status as the cricketers. Familiar Kenya Football Federation lack of foresight put breaks on Ghai’s venture.”
Read on. It gets better.
Full postIrfan Ahmed stars for Hong Kong
An outstanding all-round display from Irfan Ahmed stole the show at Unity as he almost single-handily carried Hong Kong to a 36-run against Nepal
Andrew McGlashan
25-Feb-2013
An outstanding all-round display from Irfan Ahmed stole the show at Unity as he almost single-handily carried Hong Kong to a 36-run against Nepal. Ahmed hit an unbeaten 103 as most of the other batsmen struggled, then he followed that up three wickets as Nepal were bowled out for 157.
Qatar raced to a nine-wicket win against Bhutan who were bowled out for just 69 as Ali Ishtiaq took 4 for 11.
Oman were overwhelmed by UAE’s batting strength, falling to a 130-run defeat, after Rahul Chattwani hit a fine 98 to form the cornerstone of UAE’s 329.
Singapore eased past Saudi Arabia by 69 runs as Prem Dadlani’s 70 led them to 201 which proved too much of a run chase for the Saudis.
Full postHong Kong thrash Malaysia
Afghanistan continued their good form on the fifth day of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait, beating Qatar by 108 runs, while Hong Kong and Oman also notched easy victories.
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
Afghanistan continued their good form on the fifth day of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait, beating Qatar by 108 runs, while Hong Kong and Oman also notched easy victories.
Hong Kong took no time to dismiss Malaysia for just 83 in 27 overs, racing to a comprehensive six-wicket win to keep their hopes of a semi-final place alive. Aizaz Khan and Niaz Ali gained just enough movement with the new ball to make life tricky for Malaysia’s top-order, but it was Irfan Ahmed who ripped through their middle order with 6 for 22. Hong Kong lost four wickets in chasing 84 but were never in any trouble chasing such a slim target.
Afghanistan humbled Qatar by 108 runs at Hubara, compiling a dominant 292 for 5 before skittling their opponents for 184 in 45 overs. Bhutan were thrashed by Oman at Unity, as they were bowled out for just 86 chasing 222.
Full postACC Under-19 Elite Cup - 4th day
Afghanistan notched a tense three-wicket win over UAE on the fourth day of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
Afghanistan notched a tense three-wicket win over UAE on the fourth day of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait. Malaysia and Nepal also registered wins.
Chasing 192 Afghanistan took their time, and appeared to have blown their chance of victory, and the slow pitch wasn’t helping their scoring either. Yet despite needing more than a run-a-ball, at 126 for 6, they were gifted two dropped chances by UAE’s fielders and Asgher Hotak stroked 85 to see them home.
Meanwhile, Nepal reached their target of 171 for the loss of seven wickets with more than five overs to spare, beating Singapore by three wickets. And Malaysia romped home against Saudi Arabia, reaching their target of 128 in just 17 overs.
Full postACC Under-19 Elite Cup - 3rd day
Saudi Arabia pulled off a massive upset with a five-wicket win over Hong Kong on the third day of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Saudi Arabia pulled off a massive upset with a five-wicket win over Hong Kong on the third day of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait. There were also wins for Qatar and UAE.
Hong Kong crashed to 89 for 7 after winning the toss, but an eighth-wicket stand of 137 between Waqas Barkat (84) and Aizaz Khan (66) appeared to have got them out of jail and they finished on 241. The Saudis lost early wickets but then Abdul Salam (68) and Hasan Bukhari (57*) added 118 for the fifth wicket before Salam was run out. While Bukhari kept his end up, Waqas Khalid thumped 40 from 29 balls to the Saudi Arabia home with 25 balls to spare.
UAE bounced back from their opening-day loss to beat Bhutan, but again they were well below par as they squeezed to a three-wicket win. Qatar had no problems seeing off Oman, bowling them out for 107 and then easing to a seven-wicket victory with almost 20 overs in hand.
Full postBermuda's global conspiracy theories
Over the last couple of years Cricinfo has carried a number of articles criticising the approach of a number of the Bermuda players
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Over the last couple of years Cricinfo has carried a number of articles criticising the approach of a number of the Bermuda players. These have been endorsed publicly by individuals within the country’s cricket fraternity and privately by many across the Associate world.
One of those criticisms has been the refusal of many involved to acknowledge their own responsibilities. An article by Clay Smith in the Royal Gazette sums that attitude up perfectly.
At the recent ICC World Cup Qualifiers, Bermuda not only failed to qualify for the 2011 World Cup, they also lost their ODI status. So who’s fault was that? Well, according to Smith, the blame lies with the ICC and Cricinfo.
The ICC? Well, Smith argues that the entire process of selecting teams for ODIs and the Intercontinental Cup was devised to ensure that Bermuda did not meet the grade. The fact they finished ninth is immaterial. “In my opinion the new system was set up to make sure that we as a small country did not qualify again,” he claimed. The reality is that the process now is more transparent than ever. Bermuda failed to qualify because they were not good enough on the field.
Full postFiji name squad for Stafford-Knight Trophy
Tony Munro
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Tony Munro
Fiji have begun the rebuilding process by naming a new-look squad for next month's Stafford-Knight series against Vanuatu.
A change of captain and the promotion of three Under-19 national team players are among the changes from the one which finished fifth at last year's World Cricket League Division Four tournament in Tanzania. The team inished last in group matches, winning just the one game over Tanzania, but won the fifth-place play-off match against Jersey. As a result, they will play in Division Five in 2010.
Colin Rika, the former captain, is a reserve for the 14-man squad which will play against Vanuatu in two consecutive best-of-three series in Vila. Weather permitting, six games will be played, all using ODI 50-over-per-side rules.
Full postMost Read
Writers