All posts by h716a5.icu

Leeds United have suffered a potential blow with the news that Crystal Palace are set to sign rumoured Whites target Michael Olise from Reading.

The Lowdown: Olise impresses for Reading

Olise caught the eye for the Royals last season, starting 37 of their 46 league games and appearing in 44 of them overall.

Not only that, but the 19-year-old registered 12 assists in the league, with only Norwich City’s Emiliano Buendia (16) recording a better tally.

Leeds have been linked with a summer move for Olise, but it looks as though they are set to miss out on the signing of the midfielder.

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The Latest: Palace set to sign youngster

According to a recruitment source at Football Insider, the Frenchman will join Palace instead, after the Eagles triggered his £8million release clause.

Olise is expected to become Patrick Vieira’s first signing since taking charge at Selhurst Park, with Leeds having to look other targets.

The report details that Marcelo Bielsa’s side were ‘closely trailing’ Olise and were even the favourites to sign him at one point.

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The Verdict: Was he a primary target?

While Olise is undoubtedly a talented young player, it does appear as though Leeds’ interest had cooled in recent times, so it shouldn’t be too much of a setback so long as they have other targets in mind.

It would have been no bad thing to snap up the midfielder given his impressive creative spark and potential, but Bielsa may believe a more established name is needed in the middle of the park as the Whites look to really push on and challenge higher up the table next season.

Leeds may have European aspirations next season and Olise is unlikely to have been a key starter for the Whites, given the heights they have reached recently, so perhaps a more experienced alternative will now be on the agenda.

In other news, Leeds could also miss out on the signing of another player. Find out who it is here.

Former New Zealand fast bowler Brendon Bracewell is leading the hunt for the fastest junior bowlers in New Zealand, and he could soon be taking his ‘Princes of Pace’ quest around the world

Lynn McConnell19-Dec-2002Former New Zealand fast bowler Brendon Bracewell is leading the hunt for the fastest junior bowlers in New Zealand, and he could soon be taking his ‘Princes of Pace’ quest around the world.Bracewell, who now runs the Northern Cricket Academy in the Bay of Plenty, is hosting a session during the lunch break on Sunday at the second National Bank Test between New Zealand and India for young boys and girls, to run in and bowl their fastest ball possible.The competition is open to children between the ages of six and 15.The day is part of the National Bank family day.Bracewell still delights in the joys of fast bowling and its ability to hurry batsmen up for as he says, “A hurried batsman makes more mistakes than an unhurried batsman.”As a player who suffered the curse of stress fractures in his back during his own international career of six Test matches, Bracewell is aware of the problems of over-doing the exertion.”Kids love the instant feedback measurement of their deliveries and are highly receptive to coaching instruction providing tips to improve their balance, momentum and bowling action,” Bracewell said.”Balance is the foundation to maximising power therefore the kids quickly embrace safe bowling techniques to assist them in their quest for more speed,” he said.Bracewell said young players were naturally attracted to the feats of fast bowlers like Shane Bond, Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee but they rarely had the chance to know just how fast they were bowling themselves.”In parks, practice nets and school grounds all over the world, kids bowl as fast as they can, imitating the run-ups and actions of the ‘Princes of Pace’ but completely unaware of the actual speed they bowl at.”The coaching staff at the NCA have been using the ‘Jugs’ speedball radar on kids for the last 12 months with very encouraging results,” he said.A Prince of Pace club has been formed and an honours board has been set up to acknowledge a series of milestones that young players can achieve.Once 10-year-olds reach 90km/h they are listed on the honours board.Eleven-year-olds have to reach 95 km/h, 12 year-olds 100 km/h, 13-105 km/h, 14-110km/h, 15-115km/h and 16-120km/h.Coaching advice by video analysis is also offered to young players in the scheme while Bracewell has an online bowling advice service.Prizes for young players include tickets to the seventh One-Day International between India and New Zealand at Hamilton on January 14.

West Ham United have announced a pre-season friendly with fellow London side Brentford, ahead of the 2021/22 Premier League season [West Ham United FC Official].

Stepping up their preparations ahead of the forthcoming campaign, the Hammers will travel to the newly built Brentford Community Stadium on the 31st July at 3pm in what will be the inaugural match at the Bees’ new home [West Ham United FC Official].

Already playing in their first match of the new pre-season, West Ham played out an entertaining 2-2 draw away to Scottish Premiership side Dundee [Sky Sports].

Concluding the rest of their non-competitive fixtures, the Irons will also travel to Northampton Town, Leyton Orient, Reading and Glasgow Celtic [West Ham United FC Official].

In light of the news, loads of West Ham United diehards flocked to social media to share their thoughts on the latest developments.

West Ham United fans react:

Replying to the West Ham United FC Official Twitter account, here is how some supporters reacted to the announcement:

“A newly premier league team will be a good test to see where we’re at”

Credit: @StanexSam”Easy win”Credit: @C526th”We may even have a new kit by then…”Credit: @iammichaelwatts”Fair prices, but only 500 tickets? So much for full stadiums”Credit: @WestHamTickets”be fun”Credit: @tlucy47″Ticket allocation at last love that”Credit: @simmoWHUIn other news, West Ham fans react as links with a rival striker refuse to die down.

It may be three long years years away, but the road to the 2011 World Cup begins this week in the unlikely setting of Jersey, with the World Cricket League Division 5

Will Luke22-May-2008
The Taliban banned cricket in Afghanistan, with many of their cricketers learning their trade when exiled in Pakistan © Getty Images
It may be three long years years away, but the road to the 2011 World Cup begins this week in the unlikely setting of Jersey. More famed for its cattle and potatoes than a venue for cricket tournaments, Jersey plays host to 12 of the world’s lesser-known teams in Division 5 of the World Cricket League (WCL), as they battle to climb the ladder to the fourth division and dream of a World Cup place in Asia.The road is long, winding and complicated. The two finalists from Division 5 progress to the fourth division – joining Hong Kong, Fiji, Tanzania and Italy – whose tournament takes place in Dar es Salaam in October. The top two sides then advance to World Cricket League’s third division in Argentina next January, which is followed by the World Cup qualifiers. And, finally, the top four Associate or Affiliate teams from that competition book their place in the World Cup. So far, so confusing.There are some unlikely countries participating, too: Mozambique, Vanuatu and Germany; Bahamas, Singapore and, of course, Jersey. But among the 12 sides, who are split into two groups, are three teams with realistic ambition of hot-footing it into the higher leagues. Nepal’s infrastructure, while relatively modest in world terms, continues to expand. USA’s interest in the game is burgeoning, and they return from international suspension. Perhaps most intriguingly of all, Afghanistan: ravaged by war, but no stranger to the peaceful clunk of ball on bat. As Taj Malik, the coach of Afghanistan, told Cricinfo, his side are in excellent form too.”The preparations have been very good. We’ve been training for four months and played 14 matches in Pakistan and won all the games, so we arrive in supreme form,” he said prior to arriving in Jersey. “I’m sure we will give a good [account of ourselves and we simply must go for the win. All the Afghan people expect us to win. Yes, cricket is a game of chance, but we want to win 100% so that we can reach the next division.”The irony of Afghanistan doing so well isn’t lost on Malik. After all, the Taliban regime banned the game, and it is through exile in Pakistan that the Afghan people have rediscovered the game or learnt from scratch. “We have financial problems of course, and our cricket infrastructure is still poor,” Malik said. “For example we have only just completed our national cricket ground and academy. But the team spirit is very high for the last three or four years because we have travelled to India, Pakistan, Nepal, Malaysia, UAE – and the UK in 2006.”The team is mature and experienced and ready for an international tour. We even had some of our guys in India, facing Mitchell Johnson, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel during a cricket academy in India, and they did very well.”Malik remains bullish of Afghanistan’s chances and – no surprise here – is exceedingly keen, as his countrymen back home might also be, to beat USA. “To play America in the semi-final or final would be wonderful,” he said, “and we would put our all into that game. But sport is about making friendships. It can bring two nations together. We don’t see it as a political game – we just want to play seriously and win because they’re a very good team full of different nationalities: Indians, Pakistanis, maybe even some Afghanistanis!”
The USA are back in international cricket, but will their year-long absence affect their performance this week? © Getty Images
They will be wary of the Americans. Their banishment from international cricket was not a surprise – repeated refusal to carry out the most basic of requests (such as engage a new constitution and hold elections) forced the ICC’s hand – but they contain a number of dangerous players, not least their captain, Steve Massiah, who has been left kicking his heels for 12 months.Little can be expected of the minnows’ minnows – Norway, Mozambique, Germany, Singapore, Vanuatu – but the World Cricket League offers these smaller nations the incentive of boosting the sport’s profile. Few Japanese people will even be aware their country has a national cricket side, let alone a gifted wicketkeeper in Tatsuro Chino, for example.”The biggest problem cricket faces in Japan is lack of exposure. The average person just doesn’t know what cricket is,” Jarrad Shearer, Japan’s manager, said. “That’s why tournaments like this are so important. By being successful in Jersey, hopefully we’ll get more exposure domestically. Our goal for this tournament is, first and foremost, to win it and progress to Division 4 – we’re not here just to make up the numbers. At the very least we aim to finish in the top six at this tournament to stay in Division 5.”Shearer’s sentiments will be shared by his opponents; big league cricket this is not, yet the competition will be hard-fought and the incentives are great. And in three years, one or two of these 12 will be looking back to where it all began in Jersey this week.SquadsGroup AGermany: Graham Sommer (capt), Abdul Bhatti, Ayoub Pasha, Anees Butt, Farooq Ahmed, Javed Iqbal, Rajeev Vohra, Asif Khan, Milan Fernando, Surya Narayanan, Eksan Latif, James Eggleston, Srinivas Satyanarayana, Barkatullah Masaud. Keith Thompson (coach) and Dhushyanta Ekanayake (manager)Mozambique: Muhammad Shoaib Younus (capt), Jayesh Mohanlal Khorova, Bineesh Vadavathi, Imtiyaz Shafikbhai Lili, Mohmed Aasif Aiyub Koliya, Imran Ismail, Muhammad Ikheriya, Zainulbidin Gulam Patel, Giovanni Florentino, Chandra Shekhar, C Puspussen, Nadir Gafar Karim, Mohammed Zulficar Sidat, Muhammad Kamran Qadir, Syed Kaleem Raza Shah, Wayne P Smith. Ismail Hassan (coach) and Carlos Jaime Mandlate (manager)Nepal: Binod Kumar Das (capt), Paras Khadka, Paresh Prasad Lohani, Shakti Prasad Gauchan, Mahaboob Alam, Sanjam Regmi, Sharad Vesawkar, Dipendra Chaudhary, Gyanendra Malla, Mahesh Kumar Chhetri, Raj Kumar Pradhan, Amrit Bhattarai, Basant Regmi, Dhirendra Bahadur. Roy Dias (coach) and Tanka Prasad Paneru (manager)Norway: Shahid Ahmed (capt), Aamir Waheed, Abdul Hadi, Adeel Ibrar, Ehtsham Ul Haq, Majid Zia Butt, Mubasshar Ahmed Bhatti, Muhammad Shahbaz Butt, Muhammad Zeeshan Ali, Sameer Sachdev, Shahid Ahmed, Syed Munawar Ahmed, Waseem Gill, Zaheer Ashiq, Saqib Qayyum. Ralph Dellor (coach) and Shahbaz Tariq (manager)USA: Steve Massiah (capt), Gowkaran Roopnarine, Niraj Shah, Lennox Cush, Imran Awan, Khawaja Shuja, Steve Pitter, Sushil Nadkarni, Orlando Baker, Mohamed Masood, Rashard Marshall, Rahul Kukreti,Wahab Syed, Aditya Thyagarajan. Clayton Lambert (coach) and Sohail Bari (manager)Vanuatu: Patrick Haines (capt), Andrew Mansale, Pierre Chilia, Kenneth Natapei, Richard Tatwin, Simpson Obed, Selwyn Garae, Manu Nimoho, Lenica Natapei, Trevor Langa, Michael Avok, Aby John, Eddie Mansale, Patrick Matautaava, Lazaro Carlot. Timothy Curran (coach) and Garry Blake (manager)Group BAfghanistan: Norooz Khan Mangal (capt), Karim Khan Sedeq, Rais Ahamdzai, Dawlat Ahamdzai, Ahamd Shah Ahmadi, Noor Ali Noori, Mohmmad Asghar Stanikzai, Hasti Gul Abed, Mohd.Nabi Eisakhil, Samiullah Shenwari, Hamid Hassan, Jalat Khan Naseri, Abdul Rashid Zadran, Gulbadin Naid. Taj Mailk Alam (coach) and Rais Jaji (manager)Bahamas: Narendra Ekanayake (capt), Andrew Ford, Gregory Taylor, Whitcliff Atkinson, Jonathan Barry, Mario Ford, Garfield Armstrong, Wayne Patrick, Dannavan Morrison, Dwight Weakley, Roderick Mitchell, Lee Melville, Himchan Rampersaud, Ryan Tappin. John Welch (coach) and Irvin Taylor (manager)Botswana: Tshepo Mhozya (capt), Akrum Chand, Abdul Patel, Omar Ali, Mosa Gaolekwe, Karabo Modise, Denzil Sequiera, Saad Mohiyuddin, Karan Kapoor, Manon Barot, Shah Zaib Khan, Nadeem Tajbhay, Dave Buchanan, James Moses. Solly Chotia (coach) and Ahmed Fazal Sheriff (manager)Japan: Ko Irie (capt), Gavin Bruce Beath, Kenji Murata, Masaomi Kobayashi, Ahmad Munir, Naoki Miyaji, Patrick Jamieson Giles-Jones, Naoki Kamatani, Tatsuro Chino, Courtney Jones, Takuro Hagihara, Kensuke Kobayashi, Yuta Matsubara, Satoshi Nakano. Richard Laidler (coach) and Jarrad Shearer (manager)Jersey: Mathew Hague (capt), Tony Carlyon, Steve Carlyon, Jonathan Gough, Peter Gough, Christopher Jones, Thomas Minty, Andrew Dewhurst, Robert Minty, James Brewster, Sachin Patidar, Bradley Vowden, Ryan Driver, James Caunt. Peter Kirsten (coach) and Chris Minty (manager)Singapore: Chaminda R Kumarage (capt), Zeng Renchun, Syed Ali Muhammad, James Kailash Muruthi, Narender Reddy Bonguram, Anish Edward Param, Chongwei Low, Chetan Ramchandra Suryawanshi, Arun Vijayan, Mohamed Shoib, Abdul Razak, Mohd Rizwan Nasir Madakia, Christopher Janik, Buddhika Mendis Yange Oshanka, Dharmichand Mulewa. Venkataramana Margasahayam (coach) and Mahmood Gaznavi (manager)

The final scoreline might indicate an emphatic victory for Pakistan but it needed an Asia Cup-record 100-run eighth-wicket stand between Sohail Tanvir and Fawad Alam to set up the win

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran24-Jun-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Sohail Tanvir’s maiden ODI half-century bailed Pakistan out of a precarious 161 for 7 © AFP
The final scoreline might indicate an emphatic victory for Pakistan but it needed an Asia Cup-record 100-run eighth-wicket stand between Sohail Tanvir and Fawad Alam to set up the win. Both of them made their maiden ODI half-centuries to lift Pakistan to 288, a score which proved well beyond the reach of Hong Kong’s inexperienced batsmen.After Pakistan chose to bat on a blisteringly hot day in Karachi, Nadeem Ahmed, the Hong Kong left-arm spinner, sliced through the Pakistan middle-order as what was expected to be a straightforward opening encounter for the hosts threatened to become a tricky one before Tanvir and Alam’s rescue act.Pakistan were at a precarious 161 for 7 when Tanvir and Alam started working the singles, effectively employing the sweep shot. The left-arm spinners initially kept them in check and the partnership gained impetus only after the 44th over, when Pakistan had progressed to a more reassuring 219.Tanvir raced to his fifty as a confident reverse-sweep, a conventional sweep and a powerful off-drive all fetched him boundaries. He holed out to long-off in the 47th but Alam, who had been subdued during the partnership, remained unbeaten to ensure the runs kept flowing and that his side weren’t bowled out.Hong Kong had earlier got off to a dream start as Pakistan lost their in-form opener Salman Butt in the first over for a duck. Afzaal Haider, the 36-year-old seamer, shaped the first two deliveries into the left-hander, before getting the next one to move away, inducing the outside edge. On a pitch a bit on the slower side, Haider extracted a hint of movement and troubled Shoaib Malik, who opened the innings, and Younis Khan early on.With Pakistan on a scratchy 33 for 1 after eight overs, some loose bowling in the next couple of overs let them off the hook. Thirty runs came off them as a flurry of boundaries from Malik gave the innings momentum. He fell soon after to an athletic catch by Hussain Butt at backward point but with Younis getting into his stride and Mohammad Yousuf continuing his splendid form, Pakistan were in command at 121 for 2 after 19.Left-arm spinner Najeeb Amar bowled it flat and full to restrict the runs at one end while Nadeem was more adventurous, varying his flight and length. He was rewarded with the wicket of Mohammad Yousuf – top-edging a sweep. Younis continued to attack, impudently slog-sweeping Nadeem for six and then paddling him for four. Despite the batsmen’s attacking mindset, Nadeem flighted the next ball and Younis, who danced down the track, was beaten by the turn and easily stumped.
Nadeem Ahmed sliced through the middle order with 4 for 51 to give Hong Kong hope © AFP
There was more joy for Nadeem as Misbah-ul-Haq failed to read a straighter one to be lbw. Another flighted delivery foxed Shahid Afridi, who checked his shot to offer a low return catch, and Sarfraz Ahmed was run out soon after as Pakistan slid to 161 for 7. An upbeat Hong Kong had eight fielders in the ring at this stage but things went all downhill from there.Faced with an intimidating target, Hong Kong’s batsmen were all at sea against Pakistan’s formidable fast bowling unit as they were unable to force the pace. A barrage of bouncers, especially from Umar Gul, discomforted the openers but they hung around for a while. Tabarak Dar dodged a snorter from Gul off the penultimate ball of the seventh over but was forced to retire hurt when he was hit on the jaw off the final ball.That triggered a collapse, with four wickets falling in quick succession. Opener Skhawat Ali was the first to go, pulling Tanvir to substitute Mansoor Amjad at fine leg. Iftikhar Anjum then struck with his first delivery, bowling Irfan Ahmed before Tanvir got his second with a middle-stump yorker to send back Courtney Kruger.Anjum was soon rewarded again for his wicket-to-wicket line as Hussain Butt became the next batsman to be bowled, leaving Hong Kong at a hopeless 45 for 4. With the spinners backing up the good work of the fast bowlers, the run-rate quickly shot up above eight, and the match meandered towards a foregone conclusion.Pakistan may have had some anxious moments but will be pleased with the manner in which their lower-middle order pulled them out of a dicey situation ahead of a tough encounter against arch-rivals India, on Thursday.

A Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire partnership at Manchester United could be similar to Gary Pallister and Steve Bruce’s, claims former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer.

United are being heavily linked with £63m-rated Varane, with recent reports suggesting that the club and player are in talks over personal terms.

Varane has just one year remaining on his Real Madrid contract, so a move to an outfit like United this summer certainly does look possible.

And if they do manage to pull it off, Palmer believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could end up recreating one of United’s legendary centre-back pairings.

When asked if Varane could be the perfect partner for the current Red Devils captain Maguire, the former Leeds United player told TT.

“Absolutely. I remember when he first burst on the scene for Real Madrid. I think he’s an outstanding football player. 

“It’d be a bit like Pallister and Bruce. Bruce wasn’t the quickest, but Pallister was unbelievably quick for a big man. They had the right balance within the side.”

Given his attributes like his pace and experience playing at the top, Varane could indeed be the ideal central defender to line up alongside Maguire.

With PSG also said to be in the race to sign the 28-year-old France international, though, there still looks like there is some work for United to do.

Many Aston Villa fans have been expressing their delight on Twitter, after news that Everton youngster Thierry Small is interested in a move to the Midlands was revealed by Football Insider.

Stalling on a contract offer from the Toffees due to a lack of first-team opportunities, he has become a sought after commodity and is clearly quite the prodigy, with Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Manchester United all previously keen on the 16-year-old [SB Nation].

However, he has fanned the transfer flames following latest developments.

Intriguingly, Small is said to be ‘very keen’ on a move to Villa Park and has had his head turned by his boyhood club in recent weeks [Football Insider].

He has family connections with the Villains, with his uncle Bryan Small of course being on the books of the club in the past.

In light of this, no wonder loads of Aston Villa diehards took to social media to buzz about the Small reveal.

AVFC fans react:

Replying to popular Aston Villa fan outlet villareport, here is how some supporters reacted to the rumours:

“We are a great football club aren’t we”

Credit: @TylerHinsley1″Top prospect”Credit: @dazzavilla”we are actually massive”Credit: @catrinedwards18″This is the one I’m really excited about. Thierry could be a future England International, he really is that good.”Credit: @Wanye04594011″Bring him home”Credit: @TigersGRRR”Every talented kid in the country now wants to play for Villa you love to see it.”Credit: @will_avfcIn other news, Aston Villa fans react to links with a Bundesliga ace.

Michael Clarke has warned a split between game’s administrators in Asian and Western nations might have disastrous consequences

Cricinfo staff30-Jul-2008
Michael Clarke: ‘I think it will be the end of cricket if that ever happens and I really hope that isn’t the case’ © Getty Images
Michael Clarke, the Australian vice-captain, has warned a split between the game’s administrators in Asian and Western nations might have disastrous consequences.”It’s a concern for us, a concern for cricket and we can’t afford that [split],” he told a Sydney-based radio station 2KY. “Cricket in general can’t afford it. I think it will be the end of cricket if that ever happens and I really hope that isn’t the case.”There have been tensions between members of the ICC over the conduct of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, with Australia, England and New Zealand having doubts over the security situation in the country. Players from these countries as well as South Africa have expressed concerns about the visit. Another conflict is the one between the BCCI and the ECB over the Twenty20 Champions League, with both boards now slated to conduct their own version of the tournament in October.A recent move initiated by the ECB and Cricket South Africa to revoke Zimbabwe’s status as a Full Member at the ICC annual meet also ended in a stalemate, with the Asian countries supporting Zimbabwe’s membership.Steve Waugh, the former Australian captain, said boards needed to strengthen relations and avoid a fallout. “I think they have to work at that relationship because there’s definitely the potential there for something like that [a split] to happen,” Waugh said. “The Champions Trophy is coming to a head and certain teams not wanting to go will cause some issues in itself.”Whether some teams go or they don’t, the differences of opinion might have wider repercussions.”Peter Young, Cricket Australia’s general manager of public affairs, denied the chances of any split in world cricket. “We’re certainly not thinking about any split and our relationship with the subcontinent is important.”At the moment there are a number of issues facing world cricket. There are the Twenty20 concepts in England and India, and the issues dealing with Pakistan and the Champions Trophy are frighteningly difficult.”It’s important for world cricket that Pakistan cricket is strong, and the only way they can stay strong is if the likes of Australia visit there regularly,” he said. “Pakistan have said they want us there, we’ve made it clear we want to come, but it has to be safe.”Young said Australia is likely to make its decision on visiting Pakistan around August 10.

Leeds United goalkeeper Kiko Casilla admits he would like to stay in Spain after joining Elche on loan, seemingly spelling the end of his Whites career.

The Lowdown: Casilla joins Elche

Marcelo Bielsa is currently looking for a second-choice ‘keeper at Leeds, following Casilla’s summer exit.

The 34-year-old has joined Elche for the 2021/22 season, in order to hopefully earn more playing time, having been Illan Meslier’s deputy at Elland Road.

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The Latest: Spaniard wants permanent exit

While Casilla’s move to Spain is only on loan, is looks as though the one-time capped Spain international sees his long-term future in his homeland.

Speaking to AS [via Sport Witness], the Leeds stopper admitted his dream scenario would see him not return to England at all:

“My intention is to stay in Spain.”

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The Verdict: Right time to leave

At 34, it feels like the correct time for Casilla to leave Leeds and it looks increasingly as though he has played his final game for the club.

A new deputy to Meslier will arrive this summer – Kristoffer Klaesson looks nailed on to be that man – so the veteran may be deemed surplus to requirements by next year anyway.

Casilla’s current Leeds deal expires in 2023, so Bielsa could be hopeful of receiving a small fee for him next summer, generating funds for new signings in the process.

In other news, Leeds have been tipped to make a move for a Premier League forward. Find out who it is here.

Hong Kong beat defending champions UAE by three wickets to win the ACC Elite Trophy in a rain-shortened final at the Kinrara Academy Oval in Kuala Lumpur

Cricinfo staff03-Aug-2008Hong Kong beat defending champions UAE by three wickets to win the ACC Elite Trophy in a rain-shortened final at the Kinrara Academy Oval in Kuala Lumpur.Hong Kong were set a target of 203 from 36 overs when rain interrupted their chase just after an over. They went after it with a furious pace but lost two wickets for 25 runs in the third over. However Najeeb Amar took charge of the reins and, along with James Atkinson, pushed the score along in quick time.Hong Kong reached the 100-run mark in 17.5 overs and the two added 50 more in just 32 balls before Najeeb was trapped lbw by Khurram Khan; not before he got his century off 80 balls, an innings that included 12 fours and nine sixes. UAE captain Khurram used eight bowlers in his attempt to restrict Hong Kong, and but for Najeeb’s innings, his side could have won the trophy yet again as Hong Kong’s next highest score was Hussain Butt’s 27.But before he scored the match-winnings century, that pushed him to the top of Hong Kong’s run-scoring list for the tournament, Najeeb picked for four wickets to restrict UAE to 243. Though they stumbled at the start, UAE were revived by Khurram and Saqib Ali, who added 144 for the fourth wicket. Nadeem Ahmed broke the partnership when he had Saqib caught for 56, and Najeeb removed Saqib in the final over of the innings.As finalists, both Hong Kong and UAE have qualified for the 2010 edition of the Asia Cup.