The ICC has announced the remaining fixtures in the inaugural Intercontinental Shield, the second tier first-class competition for Associates.

The one remaining match this year sees Namibia host UAE from December 8, and then UAE have a home tie against Uganda starting on January 20. In April Namibia take on Bermuda, in June Bermuda host UAE and next September Uganda are at home to Namibia in the final round-robin match. The final will be played in Dubai between November 25 and 28, 2010.

However, there is little at stake as the ICC has decided that there will be no promotion between the Intercontinental Shield and the senior Intercontinental Cup.

Uganda will travel to Dubai in February to play the United Arab Emirates and later host Namibia in August in their ICC Intercontinental Shield campaign. Uganda started well with a win in Bermuda, and are early favourites to reach the final.

And Uganda have hired a South African coach, Fayyaaz Mohiudeen, as a temporary replacement for Ebrahim Mohammed who is back home attending a course.

A number of important Associate and Affiliate dates have been confirmed by the ICC this past week.

The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier will take place in the United Arab Emirates from February 9-13, 2010. This eight-team event featuring Associate and Affiliate sides vying for the two places on offer at the ICC World Twenty20 2010 in the West Indies will be played entirely at Dubai Sports City.

September sees the ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers take place in Canada. The event runs from September 1 to 13 in Toronto with 10 teams competing for the six remaining places for the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand from January 16-30, 2010.

The ICC World Cricket League Division 6 (WCL Div.6) will be held in Singapore from August 29 to September 5 with teams from Singapore, Guernsey, Malaysia, Bahrain, Botswana and Norway battling it out in one group across three venues: Kalang, Singapore CC and Indian Association. The top two teams from WCL Div. 6 will win promotion to Division 5.

WCL Div. 5 has been confirmed to be hosted by Nepal from February 20-27, 2010. The teams include host Nepal, Fiji, Jersey, USA and the two qualifiers from WCL Div. 6.

UAE international Saqib Ali has been banned for a year after he was found guilty of attempting to assault an umpire during a local Twenty20 cup tie.

The Dubai-based National newspaper reported that Saqib had a heated argument with Mohammed Asif, who was standing as the square-leg umpire, after an appeal for a catch behind was turned down by Asif's colleague. It is claimed that Saqib then grabbed a bail and threw it at the umpire - it missed, but Saqib had to be hauled away by team-mates.

"We do not tolerate such on-field behaviour from any player," Wajahat Husain, the new president of the Abu Dhabi Cricket Council, told the newspaper.

The ban means he will miss the ACC Twenty20 Cup and World Twenty20 Qualifiers, as well as most of UAE's Intercontinental Cup matches.

He does have the right to appeal.

The United Arab Emirates will host the ICC World Twenty20 2010 Qualifier later this year. The event, which is currently scheduled to take place in late October, will also be expanded from its previous staging, in Ireland in 2008.

In addition to featuring the six Associate and Affiliate teams with ODI status - Ireland, Canada, Kenya, the Netherlands, Afghanistan and Scotland - it will also include the host team and the United States of America (USA).

The top two sides from the tournament will go forward to join the 10 ICC Full Members in next year's main event, set to take place in the West Indies in April and May at three locations - Barbados, Guyana and St Lucia.

These decisions were made by the ICC Development Committee, which has been meeting this week in Dubai.

"I am thrilled that the ICC Development Committee has again taken an expansive and innovative approach to promoting our great sport by inviting the UAE and USA to join the top six Associate and Affiliate teams at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier later this year," said ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat. "The committee has given the chance for the top six Associate and Affiliate teams to qualify for the ICC World Twenty20, something they had the chance to do in the equivalent event in Ireland last year, while, at the same time, creating two additional invitational slots for this event."

Zimbabwe Cricket has told Cricinfo that it is working with the ICC on proposals that it enters a team into the 2009-10 Intercontinental Cup. The tournament features the leading eight Associates who play each other in four-day first-class matches spread over more than a year, with the top two playing-off in a final at a neutral venue.

The idea that Zimbabwe, who have been suspended from Test cricket since 2005, participate in the competition was one of the proposals put forward to the ICC to enable their cricketers to prepare for an eventual return to the Test arena. A ZC spokesman said that the board were “in principle agreeable” and it was sorting out the “finer details” with the ICC.

Continue reading "Intercontinental Cup could include Zimbabwe"

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

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

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.

Pre-tournament favourites Malaysia and Nepal cruised to easy wins on the opening day of the ten-team ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait. Afghanistan, whose senior side were the success story of the recent ICC World Cup Qualifiers, also got off to a flying start, but there was a surprise defeat for UAE.

Malaysia eased to a five-wicket win with more than ten overs to spare over Singapore after bowling them out for 183, Prem Dadlani providing the bulk of Singapore’s run with 96.

Nepal had more trouble in beating Saudi Arabia, and they had Amrit Bhattarai to thank as his 82 helped them to 233 after they had slipped to 76 for 7. That was too much for the Saudis who were bowled out for 96.

Afghanistan thrashed Bhutan by eight wickets after bowling them out for 63, ambling home in 13 overs.

UAE were bundled to a two-wicket defeat by Qatar after being bowled out for 164.

As the dust settles on the ICC World Cup Qualifiers – aside from Sunday’s rather pointless play-offs – we highlight what each team comes away from South Africa with.

Qualification for the 2011 World Cup
Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands

ODI status for four years
Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland

Intercontinental Cup 2009-10
Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Namibia, Netherlands, Scotland, UAE

ICC World Cricket League Division 1
Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland

ICC World Cricket League Division 2
Bermuda, Namibia, Uganda, UAE

ICC World Cricket League Division 3
Denmark, Oman

ICC High Performance Programme grant funding 2009 and 2010
Afghanistan, Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Namibia, Netherlands, Scotland, UAE, Uganda

The Asian Cricket Council has announced its rankings for non Test-playing countries and Singapore have emerged as the leading side with Nepal and UAE second and third.

The rankings were based on two years’ performances in various levels of competition, including Under -15, U-17, U-19 and ACC Trophy events.

Click here for the full rankings.

UAE, led by a three-wicket haul from the legspinner Riaz Khaliq, bowled well to restrict Afghanistan to 214, a score they overhauled in 47.1 overs to register a three-wicket win at the Bayuemas Oval. Nowroz Mangal, the Afghanistan captain, led the way with a 67-ball 55, adding 74 runs for the first wicket with Karim Khan (33). Mohammad Nabi, the No. 5 batsman, also contributed with an aggressive 40. UAE suffered an early setback when they lost opener Mohammad Iqbal for 8, but Arshad Ali's patient 127-ball 62, and a 61-ball 42 from Khurram Khan put them on track for victory. With wickets falling regularly toward the end, Mohammad Tauqir blitzed five fours in an unbeaten 24 to finish off the match.

Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.

In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.

Continue reading "Future bright beyond the Test world"

A fascinating report in The National highlights that while the IPL might bring massive rewards, most international players, especially those outside the top flight, live a more modest existence.

UAE allrounder Khurram Khan reckons that it costs him money to play as he has to take unpaid leave from his job with Emirates airline.

"He might play a match, then be flying out on the night of the game to Melbourne on a 20-hour flight. Just imagine how hard that is. If he plays a four-day match, he would almost certainly then have a four-day job with his work to Melbourne, or Tokyo, or Jakarta.”

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has ordered that at least four of the country's 15-man Asia Cup squad must be Emiratis.

The UAE side has traditionally been almost entirely made up of expats from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India who are eligible under the ICC's four-year qualification rules. This was at its most apparent during the 1996 World Cup when the only non expat in the UAE side was Sultan Zarawani, the captain, whose place was more down to his passion and wealth than cricketing ability.

But the ECB has now moved to counter this with the introduction of a quota. Mohammad Tauqir has been named as the deputy to the captain, Saqib Ali, while Fahad Alhashmi, Alawi Shukri and Salman Farooq have also made the tour party.

Shukri, who had been campaigning for such a system, told The National that it was "a very good day ... we have won one small battle". He plays for UAE Nationals Club, a side of UAE passport holders plus three overseas players.

However, Shukri admitted to the newspaper that he was not exactly in the best state of mind for the tournament. "I have barely picked up a bat in three weeks, which probably is not the best preparation for playing against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka," he said. "But hopefully I will be OK."

Cricinfo has learned that the Afro-Asia Cup, which was reported to have been quietly sidelined after the 2007 event in Bangalore, has been revived.

Plans had been discussed whereby the existing Asia Cup, which takes place in Pakistan next month, would be supplemented with an African Cup. The winners of the two tournaments would then play off in an Afro-Asia final.

However, the packed international schedule meant that it was too difficult to find room for the African competition in 2008 and so a competition using the old three-ODI format will be held in Kenya during 2009.

Although the event has raised valuable funds for the African Cricket Association and the Asian Cricket Council, it has been less than a hit with audiences and has struggled to find a niche in the calendar. Despite the best intentions of the two associations, the weight of cricket means that it is still by no means certain to proceed.

Former West Indies allrounder Vasbert Drakes has been appointed as the new coach of the UAE cricket team.

"Drakes will replace Kabir Khan as the next coach,” said Mazhar Khan, the administrator of the Emirates Cricket Board. "Drakes will take charge of the team from May 10. He has been very successful as a coach after his playing days.”

Drakes, 38, will have a month to get the side ready before the Asia Cup in June.

Kabir Khan, the coach of the UAE cricket team, has stepped down to strengthen his coaching skills in Scotland.

"I have an opportunity to attend a Level-4 coaching course in Glasgow. The course is set to commence from May 1 and so I have asked the Emirates Cricket Board to relieve me of my duties."

"It was a great experience coaching the UAE team as it was my first assignment as a national team coach. There is lots of talent here but they can be a strong side if the cricket board can bring about some changes to their approach to the team."

"It is very important that the team is selected much ahead of an international tournament. The ECB officials should also try and provide basic facilities to the players like compensating them for the leave they take from their jobs."

Not have the ICC cut the number of Associates at the next World Cup from six to four at the behest of the hosts, but the Asian Cricket Council hopes that two of those slots will be taken by Asian counties.

"India beating Australia is very good for cricket in Asia and will encourage nations like Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, China and Afghanistan," Ashraful Huq, a former secretary of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, told AFP. "I watched both the finals in Australia and was amazed how the young Indian team paid the Australians back, both on and off the field."

Click here for the full story

The Emirates Cricket Board will host a women's Twenty20 tournament by the end of this month.

"This is part of our plans to attract women into the game at the grass-root level. We want to create as much opportunities for the women to play the game," Mazhar Khan, the administrator of the ECB, said. "This tournament will be held as soon as the school examinations get over. This event will be open for all schools, clubs and cricket academies."

Click here for more

The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.

The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.

Click here for the full story.

Lashings World XI will take on two sides in Twenty20 matches in Abu Dhabi this week. The lashings squad boasts a total of 471 Test caps between them and include Graeme Hick, Philip DeFreitas, Devon Malcolm, Ed Giddings, Chris Silverwood, Adam Hollioake, Marvan Atapattu, Dinesh Mongia, Chris Cairns and Grant Flower.

“I cannot tell you how bowled over we are at the unexpected surprise that is Abu Dhabi itself and the fabulous and fantastic Emirates Palace, where we are staying,” said David Folb, chairman of Lashings.

As revealed by Cricinfo last month, the 2011 World Cup will be shortened and the main victims of the change will be the Associate countries who will have their numbers cut from six to four.

"It is a move we both feared and expected and it's not great news for the Associates," Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of the Irish Cricket Union, told Cricinfo. "Neither is it a great vote of confidence in the ICC's own High Performance Programme.

Click here to tell us what you think of this? Is it the start of the gradual elimination of smaller countries from the World Cup or a necessary and welcome move?

	Arshad Ali, the former UAE captain, struck 185 in UAE's win over Bermuda last year © Eddie Norfolk

UAE might be languishing at second from bottom in the 2007-08 Intercontinental Cup, but they remain confident of reversing their fortunes ahead of their match against Namibia on Wednesday.

In three matches, they have only won one match - an excellent 138-run win over Bermuda last November. And it was this win which inspired UAE, and their captain, Saqib Ali, to believe in themselves. UAE were dismissed for a lowly 143, conceding a first-innings deficit of 168, but fought back brilliantly on days three and four to win by 138 runs.

"It was an unbelievable win for us," Saqib said. "That victory really gave us the belief that we can do well in this competition. I think we have what it takes. We have plenty of experience with people like Khurram Khan and Arshad Ali and there is a good feeling in the squad."

In spite of their bullishness, UAE's preparations for Wednesday's match have been far from ideal, with heavy rains sweeping the region. "Also it is a new pitch at Sharjah Stadium," Saqib said, "so we don't really know how it is going to play."

Saqib took over the reins from Arshadfor the Bermuda match, and the new-found freedom paid immediate dividends for Arshad whose mammoth 185 set-up UAE's matchwinning 449.

"I decided that I wanted to play as just an ordinary player, not captain," Arshad said. "It is easier for me that way and since I gave up the captaincy I have been doing very well, scoring runs and taking wickets."

Namibia, meanwhile, come into the match following an impressive eight-wicket win over Canada in October. Their win was set-up by a fine 163 from Bjorn Kotze, but neither his brother, Deon, or Louis Klazinga, who took 6 for 82 in the match, have made the trip. UAE, though, will not be underestimating Namibia.

"We are wary of Namibia. We know they have a good side with plenty of experience and lots of batting," Saqib said. "It will be very interesting. I am looking forward to it."

	Singapore's captain Rezza Gaznavi receives the ACC Under-15 Elite Cup © ACC

The Asian Cricket Council had taken drastic action on Saturday and kicked out hosts and defending champions Nepal as well as Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Thailand after its medical board reported that all the squads from those countries contained players over the stipulated age limit. Sunday's semi-finals - Nepal v Singapore and Afghanistan v Hong Kong - were scrapped.

Click here for the full story.

UAE underlined their ambition to take part in the 2011 World Cup by winning the World Cricket League Division Two tournament in Namibia, defeating Oman in the final. Denmark and Namibia also booked their place in the 2009 Qualifer, but Uganda and Argentina finished in the bottom two and were relegated back to Division Three.

Click here for Cricinfo’s full coverage of the tournament.

Tony Cozier is, rightly, one of the most respected journalists in the game. His work to cover and promote cricket in the Caribbean has been unstinting for almost four decades. And yet even the best writers have off days, and his attack on the way that the ICC funds the Intercontinental Cup, the first-class competition for the Associates, is one of those.

Continue reading "ICC must go on funding cricket's expansion"

Tony Cozier, the veteran Caribbean journalist and broadcaster, has launched a scathing attack on the way the ICC funds global cricket outside the Test-playing countries.

Writing in his column which is syndicated throughout the Caribbean, Cozier was angry at the way that established regions, such as West Indies, were not allocated more money instead of so much being spent by the ICC on Associate competitions.

“Certainly there is no ICC venture more illogical or costly than the one dubbed the Inter-Continental Cup,” he wrote. “It is an annual tournament, described by the ICC as its ‘flagship first-class competition’, comprising round-robin, four-day matches between its second tier members, those one below Test status. These are countries where the game has always been based on amateur, weekend, one-day club cricket. They play no four-day domestic matches and almost certainly never will.

“Yet the ICC doles out heaven knows how much cash every year to fly them, and their own entourage of officials, across the world and to house and feed them at venues as scattered as Aberdeen, Dublin, Namibia, Toronto, Sharjah and Windhoek.

“Canada were unable to raise their strongest team for the African tour because many of their best players simply could not get time off from their jobs. The same problem affects others, rendering the tournament even less relevant.”

The ICC maintains that the competition enables players from Associate countries to gain more experience in the longer form of the game.

The UAE team will tour South Africa as part of their preparation for the ICC World Cricket League which takes place in Namibia.

"The ICC World Cricket League is the qualifier for the 2011 World Cup. We will be playing against Uganda, Denmark, Argentina, Namibia and Oman. Prior to the series, UAE will tour South Africa to play a few warm-up matches," Mazhar Khan, administrator of the Emirates Cricket Board, told Gulf News.

Nine cricket clubs from England will tour the UAE to play against the tongue-twisterly named Delhi Private School Young Talents Cricket Academy Under-13 and Under-15 teams. Gulfnews has more.

"Many club teams from England are keen to play in UAE and we have agreed to host them. Two club teams from Yorkshire and another from London will be here soon. Matches against these teams will provide good exposure for our boys too," said Shehzad Altaf, the chief coach of the DPS Young Talents Academy.

The M23XI Club team from Sussex are currently touring the UAE. The DPS YTA Academy under-13 and under-15 boys bowed to M23 XI at the Delhi Private School ground.

The 2007 ACC Twenty20 Cup gets underway on October 27, a ten-team tournament held in Kuwait.

Hong Kong Cricket's website, which Cricinfo hosts, will have more once the tournament gets underway.

The Gulf News reports that a ten-team tournament will be held in Fujairah between June 21 and August 2.

Called the Crown Prince Cup, the event will feature four teams from Fujairah and six from other emirates. Matches will be played under Twenty20 rules.

Continue reading "Twenty20 tournament to be held in Fujairah"

The fixtures for the first half of the 2007-08 Intercontinental Cup have been released by the ICC.

The tournament undergoes a change of format once again, with the group stages scrapped and a round-robin system introduced. This will mean that the eight participants play seven matches after the two-year span of the competition.

The event kicks off on June 28 when Canada, who meet Ireland in the final of the 2006-07 tournament at Leicester between May 22 and 25, meet Netherlands in Toronto.

Scotland play back-to-back matches against Ireland and Netherlands at the start of August, while Bermuda will be in Europe to take on the same opponents at the end of the month.

The schedule shows that Bermuda are the busiest country in 2007 with four matches, all away from home. In addition to their European trip, they play Kenya in Nairobi at the start of November and from there go straight to the meet UAE.

Namibia, on the other hand, have only one game inked in, while Kenya have two.

Seven bowlers each from Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal and the UAE will be sent to the MRF Pace Foundation, run by Dennis Lillee, ahead of the 2007 and 2008 World Cricket League.

"It is the ACC's intention that these teams do well in the World Cricket League and the MRF camp in Chennai is to prepare the five qualifiers for World Cup qualification. An invitation was extended to the Malaysian Under-19 squad to train at MRF as they have pre-qualified for the 2008 U-19 World Cup next February and can benefit from the opportunity to train from this year," says ACC Development Manager Sultan Rana.

It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries. For the two finalists, the rewards are bountiful - a place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September, along with $250,000. For countries used to surviving on annual handouts from the ICC of less than $200,000, that's big money.

Continue reading "A long way from home"

The Scotsman reports that Scotland’s cricketers set off on their longest-ever tour when they flew to Sharjah to prepare for a decisive Intercontinental Cup match against UAE.

Continue reading "Scots open their grand tour in heat of Sharjah"

The former Sri Lanka batsman, Aravinda De Silva, is the star guest to open next month's junior tournament in Abu Dhabi. Strong teams from England and India have been invited and it will be umpired by officials from England and the UAE.

"We have decided to make the event more competitive by inviting strong teams from England and India," said Shehzad Altaf, the former UAE team player turned coach and chief organiser of the tournament.

The tournament has been divided into three categories. The Under-11, Under-13 and Under-17. "The U-11 and the U-13 will be a 25 overs event the U-17 will play a 30-overs tournament. All the matches will be umpired by professional umpires from UK and UAE," added Altaf.

The tournament gets underway on January 7. More info can be read at Gulf News.

The Sharjah Cricket Council (SCC) has gifted a seven-ground cricket complex to the UAE to ensure non-stop action throughout the year.

Inaugurating the Al Dhaid cricket village yesterday, Waleed Bukhatir, the chairman of the Al Dhaid Cricket Village Development Committee said: "The theme of creating such a village is to ensure that people enjoy cricket with their families in lush green surroundings, away from the city." "Six cements grounds are ready for action and one turf wicket is also being built. We will have a look at the amount of water available in this area and if possible try and transform the whole village into a green turf," added Bukhatir.

More at Gulf News

It is being reported in the UAE that Dubai Sports City (DSC) is trying to get the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to relocate a little more than a year after it lured the ICC away from Lord's.

A report in the Khaleej Times claims that an offer has been made to the ACC and that a move could be almost immediate. The ICC is in temporary accommodation while the DSC is finished, and a similar arrangement could be implemented for the ACC.

Click here for the full story.

UAE 175 for 5 (Khan 61*) beat Hong Kong 174 for 8 (Ali 3-35) by 5 wickets

The United Arab Emirates beat Hong Kong by five wickets today, at the Kinrara Oval, to take the 2006 ACC Trophy.

Choosing to bat, Hong Kong could only muster 174 for 8 in their 50 overs with the captain and wicketkeeper, Tim Smart, top-scoring in his 55. Arshad Ali bowled very tidily, picking up 3 for 37 and the Man-of-the-Match award. UAE then raced to victory in 35 overs, Khan taking them home with an unbeaten 61.

A Twenty20 Summer Cup organised and conducted by the Sharjah Cricket Council, will be held under floodlights at the Sharjah stadium in the first week of June.

“If the huge success of the earlier event held in October last year is any indication, we can expect a similar enthusiastic response to the tournament from players and fans,” Nasir Akram, secretary-general of the Sharjah Cricket Council said.

Never mind a new trophy cabinet, the winners of the Under-14 Dolphin Cup to be held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium might need to build a new clubhouse.

"The trophy will be 13 feet tall and weigh 200 kilograms. It will break the existing record of 11 feet and three inches for the tallest trophy," explained Sanjay Ahuja, the event spokesman. It is also likely to crush anyone foolish enough to attempt to lift it.

The best batsman, best bowler and player of the tournament will be presented with a scooter. So ... the winners get a trophy they cannot move, and the leading players a vehicle they cannot legally drive.