Cricket: UAE storm to ICC Trophy triumph

THE United Arab Emirates, who were not seeded for the tournament, have won the ICC Trophy and the right to call themselves No 1 among non-Test playing nations. But it was not without a bit of wobble in the final yesterday.

Needing to score at 5.6 an over to overhaul Kenya's 201, UAE were always up with the rate until the half-way stage when a solid 141 opening partnership between Riaz Poonawala and Azhar Saeed was broken by the Kenyan pace bowler, Edward Tito. Poonawala played once too often across his legs and was trapped in front on 71.

Tito struck again seven runs later when Saeed skied to Martin Orewa at midwicket and despite a quickfire 50 by Mohammed Ishaq off 36 balls, the UAE middle order lost momentum giving Kenya hope. At one stage the required run- rate passed seven.

The trophy looked anybody's when the fiery Salim Raza, so often the scourge of middle order bowling, went cheaply with the score on 242 and six overs left.

The combination of Martin Suji's varied pace and some smart Kenyan fielding had the lower order reeling, bringing a flutter to UAE hearts and Kenyan flags. But in the 49th over the wicketkeeper, Imtiaz Abassi, slashed Tito square to give the UAE the trophy by two wickets with five balls to spare.

The Kenyan total never looked enough to trouble the UAE. Had Maurice Odumbe and Steve Tikolo stayed to consolidate their hundred partnership, Kenya could well have gone over 300, But with their departures for 86 and 54, respectively, Kenya's run-rate dropped and only some good old one-day haymaking by Tom Tikolo in the last overs raised the tempo.

UAE, Kenya and the Netherlands, who beat Bermuda in Saturday's third-place match, have qualified to join the Test-playing nations in the 1996 World Cup - unless Bermuda spoil the party. They are thought to be considering lodging a protest against the UAE, claiming that a number of their players do not meet the qualification requirements.

ICC TROPHY (Nairobi) Final: Kenya 281 for 6; United Arab Emirates 282 for 8. UAE won by two wickets. Third-place play-off: Netherlands 306 for 2 (50 overs); Bermuda 203 (42.2). Netherlands won by 103 runs.