In the ICC Intercontinental Cup fixture, the UAE won its first match in the tournament beating PNG by nine wickets.
UAE Captain Rohan Mustafa said: “I am feeling proud. I was not expecting that, but the boys showed how they can perform and showed their class.
“To get better we should learn from our mistakes and we did in this match. We went to the nets, worked hard on things we had to improve and supported each other. We can surprise a lot of teams if we continue playing like we did over the past four days.”
PNG was bowled out for 194 in its first innings. Centuries from Mushammad Usman (103) and Saqlain Haider (102 not out) put the UAE in control after scoring 441. Wickets fell regularly in PNG’s second innings with consistently good bowling by Mohammad Naveed (4-78) and Imran Haider (4-93).
Lega Siaka’s maiden first-class century carried PNG to 268, setting a target of 40 for the UAE. Shaiman Anwar (32 not out) helped the side win in style in only 5.5 overs.
Its first win in five games helped the UAE clamber off the foot of the points table and move to seventh spot, with 27 points. PNG, which slumped to its third defeat in five matches, remained static at fourth spot, with 40 points to its name.
The winning side of the ICC Intercontinental Cup will get an opportunity to play the 10th-ranked Test side in the ICC Test Challenge in 2018 and then try to acquire Test status until the next event in 2022, provided it wins the challenge.
Only one more game is left in the fifth round of the I-Cup, with Scotland scheduled to host Namibia in Edinburgh from 6 June. The ICC World Cricket League Championship matches will be played on June 11 and 13.