Photo: AP
Pakistan won their second match on the trot to give themselves a very good chance of qualifying into the next round. The win against UAE by 129 runs was a real boost for the men in Green that will help them in the upcoming matches which they need to win to avoid any sort of complication for qualification.
Despite losing the toss Pakistan got the chance to bat first and made great use of that opportunity as they posted a huge total of 339/6 in 50 overs. Ahmad Shehzad played a brilliant knock of 93 runs but missed the century due to an unfortunate run out. Haris Sohail also played well for his 70. Misbah Ul Haq scored yet another half century to provide stability to the middle order and a 7ball 21 from Shahid Afridi made things easier for Pakistan to post a total past the 300-run mark. The Arabian bowlers failed to make much of an impact. Although Guruge picked up 4 wickets he gave away to many runs to make much of an impression.
UAE’s poor run with the bat continued as they suffered a poor start while chasing a big total of 339. Khurram Khan (43) and Shaiman Anwar (62), their best batsman undoubtedly, tried to make amends for the early loss but failed to put any sort of pressure on the Pakistani attack. Amjad Javed scored a 40 off just 33 balls but it was too little too late for UAE. All it did w2as delaying the inevitable. However Pakistan failed to get the 10 wickets as UAE batted for 50 overs but fell short by 129 runs. Wahab Riaz, Sohail Khan and Shahid Afridi, all picked up 2 wickets each, while Sohaib Maqsood and Rahat Ali got one wicket each.
In the end it was a comprehensive victory for the Pakistanis. With matches left against Ireland and South Africa this big win may well turn out to be a crucial one for Pakistan.
Tags: ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 ICC World Cup 2015 World Cup 2015 World Cup cricket
