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Namibia, UAE triumph in playoff contests

John Polack

July 7, 2001

Namibia and the United Arab Emirates are through to the last eight of the 2001 ICC Trophy tournament following comprehensive victories in today's playoff matches here in Toronto. Their wins - over Bermuda and Uganda respectively - came in contrasting fashion but could barely have been more impressive.

On a day when persistent showers and a strong breeze made for cool conditions at Maple Leaf, Deon Kotze (51 and 3/27) was the star in Namibia's 75-run win over Bermuda.

The Namibians opened the match nervously, falling to 55/3 before the class of opener Riaan Walters (59) lifted them into a more respectable position. On either side of a long rain break, wickets tumbled rapidly but Kotze found a way to keep the scoreboard ticking over and Morne Karg (52) hit out with force at the end, hoisting the total to 221 - a score that would have been competitive even in far more friendly conditions for batting. This was despite a fine display of pace bowling from Dale Fox (2/39) and the loss of two wickets in two balls to Herbie Bascombe (3/52) late in the innings.

Along with the remainder of a disciplined attack, Kotze then ensured that Bermuda would not stretch its score to anywhere near the victory target. Opener Albert Steede (56) proved a significant stumbling block but, by exercising a tight rein over the run rate and removing half the line-up before the total had reached 130, the Namibians had the match in their keeping a long time before it officially ended. Jan Louw (2/21) was outstanding in the middle stages, but all six bowlers functioned brilliantly together.

The fielding was also exemplary, precious few opportunities granted to any of the Bermuda batsmen to turn a rash of well struck shots into runs or even singles into twos. Hardly a beat was missed by the Namibians, whose close association with the development of the game in South Africa in recent years seems to have assisted in producing a side that shares many similar qualities with outfits to have represented that nation. Their adherence to the basics of the game and their teamwork is outstanding.

Across the other side of the Maple Leaf complex, a professional UAE performance ensured that the hopes of glory of the competition's glamour side, Uganda, were washed away in more ways than one. After being invited to bat first on a pitch offering possibilities for noticeable movement off the seam, the Ugandans had their innings interrupted by rain at a crucial stage and crashed to a total of 154 when play finally resumed.

Captain John Lubia (76*) played a great anchoring innings as trouble reigned around him but there were few meaningful contributions from elsewhere in the order. Frank Nsubuga (24) produced a stout hand, helping to add 76 runs for the seventh wicket, but was the only other player to even reach double figures. Not even tailender Kenneth Kamyuka (0) could extricate the Africans from trouble as he has done at other times in the tournament.

The UAE bowlers set the tone early, operating on a relentlessly good line and length that allowed them to make maximum use of the conditions. Khuram Khan (2/22) has been one of the unsung heroes of the tournament and was again a model of economy and efficiency during an important period of the innings. By removing dangermen Charles Lwanga (7), Joel Olweny (8) and Junior Kwebiha (0) in blindingly quick succession, paceman Asim Saeed (3/18) played a crucial role. And, in his role as the sixth bowler in the attack, Arshad Ali (2/28) also contributed strongly.

Defying the effects of a back injury that he sustained while slipping in his delivery stride in his second over, Kamyuka (2/25) bowled with purpose and fire to reduce the UAE to 40/3 at an early stage of the chase. Babar Malik (24), Ali (2) and Mohammad Nadeem (8) were all back in the dressing marquee by the seventeenth over, raising the prospect of a thrilling finish. But fortunately they also had the services of Ahmed Nadeem (61) and Saeed (37) upon which to draw, and their measured 72-run partnership for the fourth wicket was decisive.

Following two defeats in two days earlier in the week, the Emirates side had bounced back well to renew its claims on a place among cricket's world elite. The UAE was a participant in the World Cup in 1996 - somewhat controversially, after a series of doubts were raised about the ways in which its administrators had interpreted the rules relating to player eligibility - and now has the chance to make a second appearance on world cricket's biggest stage in three attempts.