Top 5 moments of the Asia Cup Qualifiers
The Asia Cup 2018 Qualifiers was scheduled between 29 August - 6 September 2018. It was a tournament involving six teams out of which two teams have ODI status.
The six teams were United Arab Emirates, Nepal, Hong Kong, Oman, Malaysia and Singapore. The tournament was organized in Malaysia.
Hong Kong defeated the United Arab Emirates by 2 wickets in the final and qualified for the Asia Cup 2018 which is organized in the United Arab Emirates.
Here’s a look at the top five moments from the tournament.
#1 Upsets on Day 1
The 1st match of the tournament was a clash between Hong Kong and Malaysia. Malaysia won the toss and decided to field first. Syazrul Idrus, Pavandeep Singh and Suharril Fetri were the star performers with the ball and picked 3 crucial wickets each. The opposition was bundled out for 161. In reply, Malaysia did not begin well as they were also losing wickets. However, a sensible knock of 49 runs by Shafiq Sharif ensured their win in the tournament.
The 2nd match was the encounter between Nepal and Oman. Oman won the toss and decided to field first. Bilal Khan, Mohammad Nadeem and Ajay Lalcheta proved their captain's decision right and they picked up 2 crucial wickets. As a result, Nepal stumbled to a score of 221 of their 50 overs. In reply, Oman had a good start. A knock of 84 runs by Khawar Ali steer the team to a win in the tournament.
#2 UAE scored the lowest total
The Anshuman Rath led Hong Kong took on Rohan Mustafa’s UAE. The game was held at UKM-YSD Cricket Oval, Bangi. UAE won the toss and elected to field first.
Anshuman Rath and Babar Hayat were the match winners with the bat as they scored a century each. As a result, Hong Kong was able to put up a respectable score of 275 runs in 50 overs.
In reply, Ehsan Khan had a great day with the ball as he picked up the crucial wickets of the big-hitting Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Abdul Shakoor and Ahmed Raza. As a result, UAE innings folded with 93 runs on the scoreboard.