USA Dominates UAE

The USA delivered a resounding 10-wicket win over a lackluster UAE side in Windhoek. Following a comfortable six-wicket triumph against Namibia, USA's performance was even more dominant, with Andries Gous leading the charge against UAE's bowlers after they were bowled out for just 106. Gous impressed on his ODI debut, smashing 66 off 54 balls, but the standout of the match was Jasdeep Singh, who tore through UAE's batting lineup with a fiery four-wicket haul.

Saurabh Netravalkar set the tone early, exploiting the morning conditions to perfection. By his second over, UAE was already in trouble, with Netravalkar dismissing both Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu in consecutive deliveries. He remained nearly unplayable, giving away just 10 runs in his six-over spell, as USA dismantled UAE’s key batters early on.

Despite movement available for the fast bowlers, USA introduced spin in the seventh over. Nosthush Kenjige justified his captain’s decision, removing Vishnu Sukumaran for 2 off an inside edge that popped up to slip. 

Young Aryansh Sharma was the only UAE batsman showing signs of confidence. He hit three boundaries in the powerplay, punishing Juanoy Drysdale's pace, and even cleared the midwicket boundary off Kenjige. However, Kenjige had the last word, dismissing Aryansh for 31 with a soft flick to short cover, leaving UAE reeling at 43 for 4 after 12 overs.

Jasdeep Singh further wrecked UAE’s innings. The 31-year-old pacer struck twice in his first over, delivering a beauty to bowl Ayan Afzal Khan and then finding the edge of Basil Hameed on the very next ball. Rahul Chopra and Ali Naseer tried to stabilise UAE with a 10-over stand, but Milind Kumar broke their resistance, and Jasdeep returned to finish off the tail. His second spell was just as destructive, taking two more wickets, including Rahul Bhatia and Junaid Siddique, in a single over.

Gous made a statement in his ODI debut by smashing four consecutive boundaries in his first four balls, taking full advantage of Siddique’s loose bowling. In contrast to Namibia’s slow start earlier in the tournament, USA stormed through the powerplay, with Gous reaching his half-century in just 37 balls. He continued his aggressive play, guiding USA past the 50-run mark with a pair of elegant cover drives off Muhammad Jawadullah in the sixth over.

Smit Patel added to UAE’s woes, hitting back-to-back boundaries off Naseer in the 12th and 14th overs, sealing the win in style and ending what was a dismal day for UAE.