KARACHI: Pakistan carried on their unbeaten run with a comfortable eight-wicket victory over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Over 40 Cricket Global Cup 2023.
In the seventh and final round of league matches, Pakistan hammered United Arab Emirates (UAE) by eight wickets at National Bank Stadium, West Indies edged Hong Kong by five wickets while the United States of America (USA) thrashed Canada by eight wickets at NBP Sports Complex.
Notably, Pakistan, by winning all seven matches, topped the table with 14 points while the USA and West Indies finished second and third with 11 and 10 points respectively.
The three sides had already booked their spot in the Over 40s Global Cup semi-final on Wednesday while Australia joined them Thursday, courtesy of their seven-wicket victory over Nepal in the last group fixture.
The home side dominated the proceedings against UAE from the outset. After just a few overs of pace bowling, the spinners were pressed into service and they did a fantastic job.
The trio of Abdul Qadir (4-24), Kashif Siddique (2-16) and Haris Ayaz (2-24) bamboozled the UAE batters.
Opting to bat first, the UAE struggled against a ruthless spin bowling attack of Pakistan and failed to build any notable partnership before they eventually succumbed to 80 all out in 29.1 overs with Vijay Mehra (15 off 38 balls) being their top scorer.
Chasing a modest 81, Pakistan got off to a flying start through the opening pair of Junaid Khalil Nainitalwala and Abdul Razzaq. They raised 50 runs in only the fifth over.
Pakistan captain Razzaq was dismissed after scoring 21 off 15 balls but his opening partner Junaid returned unbeaten with a 34-ball 36 as the home side clinched their seventh-consecutive victory in the 11th over.
Following a dominant show in the group stage, Pakistan will now face Australia in the Over 40s Global Cup semi-final while West Indies and USA will contest in the other knockout match.
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