UAE v Bahrain: Ali Naseer stars in opening T20 World Cup Qualifier win

Ali Naseer defied a finger injury to lead the UAE to an opening win in their pursuit of T20 World Cup qualification – and still managed to look glum after hitting the winning runs.

The young all-rounder was left not out on 48 after edging the four that sealed a five-wicket win over Bahrain in the first group match of the T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier in Kathmandu.

He had been lining up a fourth six of his innings, which would have taken him to his first T20 international half-century.

He would have well deserved the milestone. Naseer had hurt the little finger on his left hand in taking a catch in the fourth over of the game.

Although he was clearly in pain, he was not noticeably incapacitated. Two of his three sixes went beyond the perimeter fences at the ground in Mulpani.

“It was really painful and I had to strap it up,” Naseer, 19, said.

“I was only gripping the bat with four fingers and leaving my pinky off it. It was tough.”

He shared in a fine stand with another of the bright prospects of UAE cricket, Alishan Sharafu, to settle UAE nerves. They put on 47 in 29 balls for the fifth wicket.

The two finalists in the eight-team Qualifier will play at the main event in the United States and the Caribbean next June.

Bahrain represented a potential banana skin for the national team. They beat them in the equivalent competition in Oman last year.

They looked handily placed to repeat that shock when they had the UAE 60 for four in the 11th over, chasing 136 to win.

UAE in some bother here, 27/3 chasing 136 v Bahrain. Lost to them in the equivalent of this competition in Oman last year. Eek pic.twitter.com/CSb37O2VPs

All of the UAE’s main batting stars were back in the pavilion by that stage, and two inexperienced players at