Asia Cup Qualifiers 2018: UAE's Journey to the Final

The league matches of Asia Cup qualifiers are over now and the top two teams - United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong- will meet in the final of the tournament which will be held on 6th September. The winner of this match will qualify for the Asia Cup scheduled to start on 15th of this month.

UAE finished first in the points table after the league round, winning four out of five matches and are a strong contender for the Asia Cup berth. Here, in this article, we will take a look at the UAE's journey to the final.

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#1 United Arab Emirates vs Singapore, 3rd Match

Chirag Suri was 'Player of the Match' for his brilliant century

UAE started their campaign in style and beat Singapore by a huge margin of 215 runs. After being asked to bat first, they posted a mammoth total of 312 for 8 in 49 overs (match reduced to 49 overs per-side due to wet outfield). Chirag Suri was the star performer for the team who scored a brilliant century (111 off 124 balls). He was well accompanied by Ashfaq Ahmed and Shaiman Anwar both of whom scored half-centuries.

In reply, the Singapore team was never really into the chase. They were reeling at 19 for 5 at a time and eventually folded up with 97 on the scoreboard. Six of their batsmen failed to even open their account. Ahmed Raza was the hero with the ball who scalped six wickets.

#2 United Arab Emirates vs Nepal, 4th Match

Ahmed Raza produced a bowling figure of 4-37

The second outing was against Nepal and they were clinical once again. For the second time, they were asked to bat first after losing the toss. Chirag Suri once again was brilliant with the bat and scored 65 runs before getting run out. With the help of Adnan Mufti's unbeaten 57, UAE posted a total of 254 for 9 in their 50 overs.

Nepal lost their first wicket in the opening over itself and never recovered from it. Subash Khakurel batted with caution at one end but never got support from other batsmen. The whole team was in the pavilion for 176 and UAE won the match by 78 runs. Ahmed Raza was the top wicket-taker with 4 wickets to his name.

#3 United Arab Emirates vs Hong Kong, 9th Match

Babar Hayat smashed a brilliant century in the match

UAE team's only defeat came in this match when they lost to the Hong Kong team by 182 runs. United Arab Emirates won the toss for the first time in the tournament and opted to bowl first. Anshuman Rath and Babar Hayat of Hong Kong proved the decision wrong and both of them went on to score centuries. They helped their team score a decent 275.

The UAE batsmen failed miserably during the chase and only three of them managed to reach a double-digit score. Captain Rohan Mustafa was the highest-scorer for the team with 33. The innings ended in just 24.5 overs at a score of 93. Ehsan Khan took 4 wickets at the expense of just 17 runs.

#4 United Arab Emirates vs Malaysia, 11th Match

UAE bowlers bundled out the opposition for 93

After the humiliating loss against Hong Kong, UAE needed a big win to get back on track. The game against Malaysia provided them with what they needed. They registered a dominating win by 8 wickets with 251 balls to spare.

After winning the toss, the Malaysia team opted to bat first but as it turned out, the UAE bowlers were too hot to handle for them. Ahmed Raza, in particular, did most of the damage and returned with figures of 4 for 28. Bowling out the opposition for a paltry score of 93, UAE chased down the target in just 8.1 overs.

#5 United Arab Emirates vs Oman, 14th Match

Rohan Mustafa was the MOM for his 71

When UAE and Oman faced-off in the last round of league matches, it was like a virtual semi-final. To make it to the top 2 in the table, both teams needed to win this match. As it turned out, UAE defeated Oman by 13 runs to finish at the top of the points table.

Oman captain Zeeshan Masqood won the toss and invited the opposition to bat first. UAE's captain Rohan Mustafa led by example and scored a valuable 71 runs which helped the team post a fighting total of 208 for 8 in 50 overs.

In the second innings of the match, the UAE bowlers did a fantastic job to defend the total. Aqib IIyas of Oman started off well but could not convert it into a big score, just like the other batsmen. The collective efforts of UAE bowlers restricted the opposition for 195 in 47.2 overs.

With 8 points from 5 matches, UAE finished as table-toppers and ensured their berth in the final.