In the seventh match of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off 2023, the United States of America (USA) defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the United Cricket Club Ground in Windhoek on Thursday.
Batting first, UAE started their innings on a shaky note as opener Waseem Muhammad departed early after scoring just 2 runs. Vritiya Aravind and Asif Khan, then steadied the innings with a 98-run partnership. Aravind scored 57 runs off 68 balls, while Khan played an impressive knock of 103 runs off 84 balls.
Apart from the duo, Rohan Mustafa also chipped in with a valuable 38 runs off 53 balls as UAE went on to post a competitive total of 279/9 in their allotted 50 overs. Jasdeep Singh and Nisarg Patel were the pick of the bowlers for the USA, with 2 wickets each.
Chasing the big total, USA lost opener Shayan Jahangir early. But Sushant Modani and Saiteja Mukkamalla took charge from thereon and built a solid partnership of 92 runs before Modani fell for 39. However, Mukkamalla continued to bat brilliantly and scored a magnificent century, smashing 12 fours in his match-winning unbeaten knock of 120 runs from 114 deliveries. Monank Patel also smashed a crucial half-century as the USA gunned down the target with 5 wickets in hand and 1 over to spare.