United Arab Emirates posted 244/8 in 50 overs against the Netherlands in their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 2023-27 encounter at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Sunday.
Captain Rahul Chopra top-scored with 82 not out, while Timm van der Gugten claimed a five-wicket haul for the visitors.
UAE, who won the toss and opted to bat, lost two early wickets but recovered through contributions from Tanish Suri, Chopra and Akshdeep Nath. The Netherlands now require 245 runs in 50 overs to win the 140th match of the competition.
The hosts got off to an unsettled start after Netherlands’ pace attack made early inroads. Aryansh Sharma was the first batter to depart, scoring 15 off 21 deliveries before being caught by Noah Croes off van der Gugten in the ninth over.
Muhammad Shahdad followed shortly afterwards, falling for a duck in the same over to leave UAE at 38/2. Van der Gugten accounted for both early wickets, putting the Netherlands in control during the opening phase.
Tanish Suri and Rahul Chopra then steadied the innings with a 35-run partnership. Suri scored 40 off 60 deliveries, hitting five boundaries, before being dismissed by Netherlands captain Bas de Leede. UAE were 73/3 after 18.3 overs.
Rahul Chopra and Akshdeep Nath rebuild UAE innings
Chopra and Akshdeep Nath played important roles in rebuilding the innings after the early setbacks. The pair added a substantial partnership to take UAE past the 200-run mark.
Chopra brought up his half-century off 67 balls, while Nath reached his fifty from 67 deliveries. The latter eventually scored 68 off 77 balls, including seven boundaries, before being bowled by van der Gugten in the 48th over.
Chopra remained unbeaten on 82 from 102 deliveries, striking nine boundaries. His innings provided the foundation for UAE to reach a competitive total despite losing wickets towards the end.
Muhammad Waseem contributed 19 off 20 balls before falling to Aryan Dutt, while Khuzaima Bin Tanvir was dismissed for a duck by Paul van Meekeren.
Van der Gugten leads Netherlands bowling attack
Van der Gugten was the standout bowler for the Netherlands, finishing with figures of 5/39 from his 10 overs, including one maiden. He dismissed Sharma, Shahdad, Nath, Basil Hameed and Awais Ali Shah.
Dutt, van Meekeren and de Leede picked up one wicket apiece. Fred Klaassen went wicketless despite completing his 10-over quota, conceding 46 runs.
UAE added 69 runs in the final 10 overs but lost five wickets during that period, preventing them from pushing their total substantially higher.
UAE vs Netherlands playing Xis
UAE: Tanish Suri, Muhammad Shahdad, Akshdeep Nath, Rahul Chopra(c), Muhammad Waseem, Basil Hameed, Aryansh Sharma(w), Aayan Afzal Khan, Khuzaima Tanveer, Awais Ali Shah, Junaid Siddique.
Netherlands: Max O’Dowd, Cedric de Lange, Noah Croes(w), Bas de Leede(c), Zach Lion-Cachet, Colin Ackermann, Michael Levitt, Timm van der Gugten, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Paul van Meekeren.
Where to watch the UAE vs Netherlands cricket match?
LIVE streaming will be available on the Fancode app and website. The match, however, won’t be broadcast on any of the TV channels.