ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
A sharp effort in the field by the UAE cricket team saw them clinch the Gulf Cup tournament, beating Kuwait by two runs in a thriller at the Dubai International Stadium.
The Gulf Cup T20 provides a platform for cricketing nations in the region to showcase their talent and grow the sport.
Players from such Associate and Affiliate member nations get this platform with top performers getting picked as one of four members in each of the six squads in the International League Twenty20 (ILT20).
In the final of the Gulf Cup, sponsored by ILT20, Kuwait's issues in communication running between the wickets played into the hands of the UAE.
Kuwait had managed to beat previous holders Oman on Friday despite two run outs.
Batting first, the UAE posted a score of 153 for nine but Kuwait fell short; another two run-outs derailing their chase.
The hosts had a decent start with Tanish Suri (34) and Alishan Sharafu (28) at one change, to recover from the loss of their spearhead batsman Muhammad Waseem.
Apart from Asif Khan (23), all the batsmen scored at a fast clip, but none stuck around beyond early in the double digits.
In reply, Meet Bhavsar, Kuwait's wicket-keeper batting mainstay, played a lone furrow while Muhammad Jawadullah, Simranjeet Singh Kang and Ali Naseer chipped away two wickets each.
Bhavsar did the heavylifting to reach a score of 72 runs before Jawadullah had him caught behind.
Bhavsar and 10th man Yasin Patel threatened to take the game away with a 38-run partnership but Bhavsar's wicket and a run-out before his fall meant Kuwait fell short by a whisker.