Openers put UAE in driving seat against Bermuda

Contrasting half centuries by openers Abdul Rehman (65) and Arshad Ali (75 not out) lifted UAE to a commanding position on the opening day of their four-day Intercontinental Shield match against Bermuda in Hamilton on Monday.
 
After the hosts electing to bat first were dismissed for a paltry 56, UAE made steady progress on a spin friendly wicket to reach 192 for two – a lead of 136 runs.
 
Rehman slammed seven boundaries in his 88-ball 65 during a 94-run opening stand before being trapped leg before by off spinner Rodney Trott.
 
Arshad, UAE’s leading scorer in the competition with over 300 runs under his belt including a century, continued his prolific form but was more circumspect as he played the anchor role.
 
He has faced 193 balls in his unbeaten 75 which contained just two boundaries and a six.
 
Skipper Khurram Khan fell for 28 having struck a four and a six while Saqib Ali (23 not out with two fours) and has added 52 runs for the unbroken third wicket with Arshad.
 
Earlier, left arm spinners Shadeep Silva and Ahmed Raza snared five wickets between them after Tahir Butt bowled Fiqre Crockwell with his first delivery on his international debut in the second over the match.
 
Bermuda never recovered from this early setback with only opener Chris Foggo (29) entering double figures. Silva returned excellent figures of 6-3-4-3 while Raza snapped up the wickets of Foggo and Wayne Kelly in successive deliveries to finish with superb figures of 4-2-5-2.
 
Swapnil Patil and Saqib Shah also made their debut for UAE on this tour where they will play a four-day Intercontinental Shield match, two 50-over games and a Twenty20 match.

Mohamed Tauqir, who has recovered from the broken finger he suffered against Uganda in January, has returned to the side.
 
The UAE is currently third in the Intercontinental Shield table, behind Uganda and Namibia, and needs to beat Bermuda to have a chance of qualifying for the final to be held in UAE in November. Bermuda, having lost both its matches, is in last place.
 
UAE Squad: Khurram Khan (capt), Mohamed Tauqir, Abdul Rehman, Arshad Ali, Ahmed Raza, Saqib Ali, Shadeep Silva, Qassim Zubair, Amjad Javed, Saqib Shah, Swapnil Patil, Tahir Butt, Moiz Shahid, Naeemuddin Aslam.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.