Germany held their nerve to beat Belgium by 5 runs in a nail-biting finish at FB Fields.

With Belgium needing 6 to win off the last over and 2 wickets remaining, Faisal Khaliq was run out off the first ball attempting a run through to the keeper. Rana-Javed Iqbal then kept a cool head to bowl two consecutive dot balls before dismissing number 11 Waqas Shafiq, who could only clip the ball to the sub fielder at square leg.

Belgium had looked to be in a good position at 86-3 after 12 overs, Jamie Farmiloe (31) and Shiaval Mehta (31) running excellently between the wickets and sharing in a 47-run partnership. But spinner Syed Shah then shifted the momentum back in Germany's favour as he took the key wicket of Mehta, bowling him off his pads as he tried to force a ball through the offside.

Belgian hopes then rested on the shoulders of Farmiloe but he too succumbed to Shah, stumped in the 17th over as he tried to come down the track.

Faisal Khaliq (13) and Shahid Muhammad (16*) then hit some lusty blows to take Belgium within touching distance but it was to be Germany's day. Shah finished with the excellent figures of 3-19 from 4 overs and fellow spinner Hassan took 2-22.

Germany's batting line-up had earlier fired for the second time that day, opener Dilshan Rajudeen striking an impressive 58 off 47 balls in their total of 144. Rajudeen brought up his 50 and the team hundred with a high and handsome six over long-off against Nadeem Khan, a knock that included a total of two 4s and two 6s. Lower-order batsman Fazal Rathore also got some vital runs late in the innings, ending on 16 not out from 12 balls.

Faisal Khaliq was the pick of the Belgian bowlers, dismissing the captain Asif Khan (22) and Imran Choudhry (0) in successive balls. He combined an intelligent mix of line and length bowling with some slower balls to finish with figures of 3-22 from 4 overs.