ICC MEDIA RELEASE
Dubai , 27 January 2008
Namibia has gone joint-second in the ICC Intercontinental Cup, level with the Netherlands and just behind Kenya, after its thrilling 40-run victory over the United Arab Emirates at Sharjah Stadium on Saturday.
The win sets up a top-of-the-table battle between the south-west Africans and Kenya when the two sides go head to head at the same venue, starting on Tuesday.
Namibia now has two wins from two matches but is six points adrift of Kenya due to the fact that Louis Burger’s men failed to take the points on offer for first-innings lead against the UAE, having been 60-runs adrift at the half-way stage.
But then wrist spinner Jan-Berrie Burger gave the UAE a dose of its own medicine when he turned the tables and bowled Namibia to a 40-run victory on the fourth and last day.
Burger, coming in as a first change bowler, finished with figures of 5-81, his career-best figures, as the UAE was spun out for 296 while chasing 337 for victory.
For the UAE, it was its second defeat in four matches and leaves it ahead of eighth-placed Bermuda in seventh spot on 23 points after it earned six points from this match. Captain Saqib Ali was not disheartened, however, as he knows his side is showing improvement.
“We do not play four-day cricket very often but we are learning to adapt,” said Saqib.
“This competition is great for us and is really helping to develop our skills in the longer form of cricket. I have already seen big improvements in the side and I am very positive for the future.
“ Namibia batted very well in the second innings and set us a difficult target. I knew we had time to get the runs and I thought we could do it but we just fell short. I thought we put up a very good fight and it was a great game of cricket,” he said.
For JB Burger, it turned out to be one his most memorable performances after he had contributed 68 and 38 with the bat as well as figures of 2-12 in UAE’s first innings which gave him match figures of 32.1-4-93-7.
The UAE, which resumed on Saturday morning at 44-2, looked dead and buried when it slumped to 103-6 before the innings was revived by Khurram Khan and Amjad Ali. The two batsmen added 117 runs for the seventh wicket giving the Africans plenty to worry about.
But just as it looked like the UAE might pull off a remarkable victory, Ali fell with the total on 230 after scoring a fine 52 from 89 balls with six boundaries.
Khurram, who had bagged 6-98 on the third day with his left-arm spin, however, kept UAE’s slim hopes alive when he carried the score to 258 before he was out lbw to Kola Burger after scoring 97. His career-best knock came off 176 balls and included nine boundaries.
Kola Burger struck again four balls later as 258-8 became 258-9 with the departure of Zahid Shah and defeat starred right in the eyes of the home team.
Ahmed Raza and Fahad Alhashmi managed to take the score to 296 but that was the best the pair could do as Jan-Berrie Burger struck for the fifth and last time in the match to bring Namibia an excellent come-from-behind victory.
Besides JB Burger, Louis Klazinga, who dismissed both the openers on the third evening, finished with 3-56 while Kola Burger bagged 2-50.
The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception three years ago and now the ICC’s premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members’ cricket schedule.
Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event has evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.
Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in both events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider and Canada earlier this year in the 2006-07 event.
The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 will take place in November 2008 in Dubai .
ICC Intercontinental Cup table (as of 27 January)
Team P WO WI D LI LO T Points
Kenya 2 2 2 - - - - 40
Namibia 2 2 1 - 1 - - 34
Netherlands 3 2 1 - 1 1 - 34
Ireland 2 1 2 1 - - - 29
Canada 4 1 2 - 2 3 - 26
Scotland 3 1 1 2 2 - - 26
UAE 4 1 1 1 3 2 - 23
Bermuda 3 1 1 - 2 3 - 6
WO - outright win - 14 points
WI - lead on first innings (also retained if outright loss) - 6 points
LI - behind on first innings - 0 points
LO - outright loss - 0 points
TO - outright tie - 7 points each
TI - tie first innings - 3 pts each Abandoned - 10 pts each
D - draw - 3 pts each
Dubai , 27 January 2008
Namibia has gone joint-second in the ICC Intercontinental Cup, level with the Netherlands and just behind Kenya, after its thrilling 40-run victory over the United Arab Emirates at Sharjah Stadium on Saturday.
The win sets up a top-of-the-table battle between the south-west Africans and Kenya when the two sides go head to head at the same venue, starting on Tuesday.
Namibia now has two wins from two matches but is six points adrift of Kenya due to the fact that Louis Burger’s men failed to take the points on offer for first-innings lead against the UAE, having been 60-runs adrift at the half-way stage.
But then wrist spinner Jan-Berrie Burger gave the UAE a dose of its own medicine when he turned the tables and bowled Namibia to a 40-run victory on the fourth and last day.
Burger, coming in as a first change bowler, finished with figures of 5-81, his career-best figures, as the UAE was spun out for 296 while chasing 337 for victory.
For the UAE, it was its second defeat in four matches and leaves it ahead of eighth-placed Bermuda in seventh spot on 23 points after it earned six points from this match. Captain Saqib Ali was not disheartened, however, as he knows his side is showing improvement.
“We do not play four-day cricket very often but we are learning to adapt,” said Saqib.
“This competition is great for us and is really helping to develop our skills in the longer form of cricket. I have already seen big improvements in the side and I am very positive for the future.
“ Namibia batted very well in the second innings and set us a difficult target. I knew we had time to get the runs and I thought we could do it but we just fell short. I thought we put up a very good fight and it was a great game of cricket,” he said.
For JB Burger, it turned out to be one his most memorable performances after he had contributed 68 and 38 with the bat as well as figures of 2-12 in UAE’s first innings which gave him match figures of 32.1-4-93-7.
The UAE, which resumed on Saturday morning at 44-2, looked dead and buried when it slumped to 103-6 before the innings was revived by Khurram Khan and Amjad Ali. The two batsmen added 117 runs for the seventh wicket giving the Africans plenty to worry about.
But just as it looked like the UAE might pull off a remarkable victory, Ali fell with the total on 230 after scoring a fine 52 from 89 balls with six boundaries.
Khurram, who had bagged 6-98 on the third day with his left-arm spin, however, kept UAE’s slim hopes alive when he carried the score to 258 before he was out lbw to Kola Burger after scoring 97. His career-best knock came off 176 balls and included nine boundaries.
Kola Burger struck again four balls later as 258-8 became 258-9 with the departure of Zahid Shah and defeat starred right in the eyes of the home team.
Ahmed Raza and Fahad Alhashmi managed to take the score to 296 but that was the best the pair could do as Jan-Berrie Burger struck for the fifth and last time in the match to bring Namibia an excellent come-from-behind victory.
Besides JB Burger, Louis Klazinga, who dismissed both the openers on the third evening, finished with 3-56 while Kola Burger bagged 2-50.
The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception three years ago and now the ICC’s premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members’ cricket schedule.
Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event has evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.
Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in both events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider and Canada earlier this year in the 2006-07 event.
The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007-08 will take place in November 2008 in Dubai .
ICC Intercontinental Cup table (as of 27 January)
Team P WO WI D LI LO T Points
Kenya 2 2 2 - - - - 40
Namibia 2 2 1 - 1 - - 34
Netherlands 3 2 1 - 1 1 - 34
Ireland 2 1 2 1 - - - 29
Canada 4 1 2 - 2 3 - 26
Scotland 3 1 1 2 2 - - 26
UAE 4 1 1 1 3 2 - 23
Bermuda 3 1 1 - 2 3 - 6
WO - outright win - 14 points
WI - lead on first innings (also retained if outright loss) - 6 points
LI - behind on first innings - 0 points
LO - outright loss - 0 points
TO - outright tie - 7 points each
TI - tie first innings - 3 pts each Abandoned - 10 pts each
D - draw - 3 pts each