The UAE’s hopes of playing in theUnder-19 2018 World Cup are over after they suffered a five-wicket
The tourists went into the game knowing a victory over the hosts would have seen them qualify for the final as well as December’s Division One tournament in Sri Lanka – the final stage for the showpiece event.
Instead, the UAE had a tough day in Kuala Lumpur as Malaysia chased their 156-run target with ease in the 30th over.
Batting first, vice-captain Fahad Choudhary (52), Ali Mirza (32), Sachin Jha (29) and Justin D’Souza (19) were the only batsmen to reach double figures as the UAE were all out inside 46 overs.
Defending a small total against the in-form unbeaten side, the UAE needed early wickets and they did exactly that.
Skipper Yodhin Punja led from the front, striking three times in the first six overs as Malaysia were 24-3.
Although Choudhary claimed one scalp, that was as good as it got for the UAE as knocks from Syed Aziz (60) and Virandeep Singh (44) proved to be decisive.
Jonathan Figy, who could only manage one run yesterday, admitted the best team won.
“It’s really disappointing to lose especially as you’re one step away from the final,” said the 15-year-old all-rounder.
“We played quite poorly on the day whereas they played well in all departments of the game.
“We were quite confident about our chances as we have a really talented squad but at the end of the day, it’s what you do on the pitch and Malaysia played better cricket than us.”
Despite their disappointing finish, there were positives to take from the last 10 days especially with the ball that saw three of their opponents bowled out for less than 48.
“It’s been a good experience of playing for the UAE especially in a tournament and it’s something I’ll always remember,” said Figy.
“We put in a lot of hard work and was a great learning curve.”