Hong Kong booked their place in the Asia Cup to be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi after beating UAE by two wickets in the Asia Cup Qualifier final in Malaysia. Courtesy ACC
Hong Kong booked their place in the Asia Cup to be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi after beating UAE by two wickets in the Asia Cup Qualifier final in Malaysia. Courtesy ACC

Asia Cup Qualifier: Hong Kong beat UAE to book Asia Cup place



UAE have missed out on playing at a home Asia Cup after losing out to Hong Kong by two wickets in the Qualifier final in Malaysia.

Hong Kong will now play matches against India and Pakistan in Dubai later this month, after winning with three balls to spare in a rain-abbreviated match in Kuala Lumpur.

The UAE finished their 24 overs on 176-9. The target for Hong Kong was then marginally revised up, to 179, by the Duckworth-Lewis method on account of a lengthy rain break.

When the shower hit, UAE were 65-3 off 15.2 overs. The fact they scored 111 in eight overs after the break gave them a fighting chance.

Ashfaq Ahmed top scored. The opener’s innings of 79 was similarly-paced either side of the rain delay.

Although no other batsmen registered a significant score thereafter, most did their bit. Shaiman Anwar injected some momentum into the pursuit of quick runs with 22 in 14 balls. Mohammed Usman made a quick 16, and Adnan Mufti and Mohammed Naveed each hit their first delivery for six.

Abdul Shakoor did the same off the last ball of the innings, meaning UAE had something to defend. Aizaz Khan was Hong Kong’s hero with the ball, as he picked up 5-28.

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Read more:

Asia Cup 2018 lowdown: teams, venues and everything else you need to know

UAE 'will come back hard against Hong Kong' in final, says captain Rohan Mustafa

Final between UAE and Hong Kong to be broadcast live on OSN Cricket HD

Dougie Brown lauds UAE for learning to handle pressure after nervy win over Oman

Rohan Mustafa praises 'character' of UAE teammates after thrashing Malaysia

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The Hong Kong chase started at a rapid rate, though. Between openers Nizakat Khan and Anshuman Rath, they had reached 53 for no loss after the five-over power play.

At that point, UAE might have feared they were about to succumb to the curse of Kinrara Oval. Ten years ago, at the same ground, the national team had lost the equivalent fixture, the ACC Trophy final, against the same opposition at the same ground in very similar circumstances.

Back then UAE were beaten by an inspired Hong Kong side, who chased after a lengthy rain break. Only two players remain from that game – Nadeem Ahmed for Hong Kong and Rameez Shahzad for UAE. Each might have had that in mind as the rain came down.

The national team hit back, though, with four wickets for 18 runs in a little over three overs. That included the prize wickets of Rath and Babar Hayat, who had each scored centuries in Hong Kong’s massive win in the corresponding fixture in the pool phase.

Ahmed Raza led the rally. The left-spinner, who is also one of the outstanding fielders in the side, affected a direct-hit run out to dismiss Kinchit Shah, then bowled Rath.

Hong Kong reasserted the ascendancy, only to wobble again after a comical run out. Chris Carter, who was anchoring the chase, had to go when Rameez ran him out after he almost completed two runs, while the non-striker barely even left his ground.

Hong Kong stabilised, though. Scott McKechnie saw his side over the line with 14 not out off 11 balls, and victory was secured when they ran a bye with the scores level on the third ball off Amir Hayat’s final over.

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The specs
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How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder

Started: October 2021

Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Industry: technology, logistics

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Stage 5 results

1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 3:48:53

2 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team -

Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott - 

4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ  0:00:04

5 Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) CCC Team 0:00:07

General Classification:

1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 20:35:04

2 Tadej Pogacar (SlO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:01

3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:33

4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:48

5 Rafał Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:02:11

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
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Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
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Install an air filter in your home.

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Dir: Guy Nattiv

Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Mica

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Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani

3 stars

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

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Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
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The specs
 
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Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

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