While that was happening, too, on Thursday, Japan fell to deeply rented UAE. This victory guaranteed their qualification for the Men’s T20 World Cup later this year. The UAE took charge of the match, easily chasing Japan’s score of 116 runs. They followed this lordly triumph with a thunderous victory, running up 118 for 2 in just 12.1 overs. This upset not only secured the UAE a spot at the World Cup, but eliminated Japan from the running.
In the qualifying tournament opening match, Japan made a total of 116 runs for 9 wickets. With a target of 116 runs in 20 overs, they started their innings. Wataru Miyauchi impressed for Japan, going through the match with the bat unscathed as he ended up on 45 runs. Despite his efforts, Japan’s total was limited by a strong performance from UAE’s Haider Ali, who took 3 wickets for just 20 runs.
Japan had come into this pivotal fixture on the back-foot, having won their two other qualifiers against Kuwait and American Samoa. Given higher net run-rate, a victory over UAE would have seen them qualify directly to the World Cup. Sadly for Japan, their campaign came to a close with this loss.
The UAE’s batting lineup met the challenge impressively, with Alishan Sharafu paving the way by scoring 46 runs. Muhammad Waseem played a key role too, scoring brisk 42 runs to lift the team to victory. Their collective contributions powered the UAE to successfully chase down the small target with relative comfort. They capped off the tournament by clinching the final with a stunning 8-wicket win.
This would be a significant boost and recognition for UAE! This is their third qualification for the Men’s T20 World Cup, after their first in 2014 and second in 2022. Their resounding performance in the qualifying tournament shows that they are getting stronger in the developing world of international cricket.
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