Harsh Thaker hit an unbeaten 111 for his maiden one-day international century as Canada defeated the United Arab Emirates by eight runs in a rain-shortened match Tuesday to record its third straight victory in ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 play in Dubai.
The Canadian men top the eight-team table with two wins over the U.A.E. and one over Scotland. Losing the toss, Canada was sent to bat and was three for 60 when Thaker entered to turn the tide.
The 26-year-old all-rounder hit six fours and two sixes in his 113-ball innings with opener Aaron Johnson adding 29 runs and Nicholas Kirton adding 26. "It was big," said Thaker, named player of the match. "I was a bit low in runs in Nepal [where Canada lost a three-match warmup series].
Then we came here [and the] coach and captain believed in me a lot, my teammates believed in me a lot. I was batting well but I wasn't getting a big score.