Five-star Ahmed Raza leads UAE to T20 World Cup 2022 after victory over Nepal

The UAE have booked a trip to the T20 World Cup in Australia after beating Nepal in Muscat.

Ahmed Raza’s side beat their familiar rivals by 68 runs in the semi-final of the qualifying event on Tuesday.

It means the national team will be heading back to the global stage for the first time in seven years, and for just the fourth time in history.

They played at the 50-over World Cup in 1996 and 2015, and have had one previous appearance at the 20-over version, back in 2014.

In the seminal last-four match against Nepal, Muhammad Waseem set the game up with the bat, before – fittingly – captain Raza applied the finishing touches with the ball.

Waseem scored a neatly-paced half-century, then held three catches – one of which was a stunning, diving boundary effort. Raza later took 5-19 to seal the victory.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, UAE reached 175-7 from their 20 overs. They might have hoped for more while Vriitya Aravind was in the midst of his latest tour de force.

Captain 'o Captain..... @ahmedrazauae leading from front