Aayan Khan avenges U19 loss by helping UAE seniors win tri-series title against Nepal

Teenage spinner plays second final against same opposition in two different countries in space of four days

Aayan Khan of the UAE picked up three wickets against Nepal in the tri-series final. Subas Humagain for The National

Aayan Khan jetted into Kathmandu and helped the UAE to the tri-nations T20 title against Nepal on Friday.

The teenage spinner took three wickets to halt a rapid start by the home team at Tribhuvan University.

His contribution helped limit Nepal to 162-8 from their 20 overs.

In reply, the national team took the chase to the final over, by which point they required seven to win.

Aayan was not out at the not striker’s end as Basil Hameed hit the penultimate ball for six to seal a four-wicket win.

Aayan’s impact had been immediate. The final was the first game he was playing in a competition that also included Hong Kong.

He missed the group phase as he was captaining the UAE at the ACC Men’s U19 Premier Cup in Malaysia.

In his absence, the senior team had lost three of their four matches, including twice against the hosts.

But they inched through to the final with a slightly less poor net run rate than Hong Kong.

Over in Malaysia, Aayan had been faring better as his side reached the final of the 50-over age-group competition.

They did, though, lose to Nepal in the final on Tuesday. Aayan and Aryansh Sharma flew from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu to take their places in the senior team.

The tri-series has been part of the preparation for each of the sides ahead of the T20 World Cup Qualifier to follow.

The UAE and Hong Kong will be in the same group for the competition, which carries with it two qualifying berths for the main event. The two finalists will earn a place in the West Indies in June 2024.

Kuwait and Bahrain are the other two teams in a group with Hong Kong, with matches set to be played in Mulpani from Monday.

Nepal are in a group with Oman, Malaysia and Singapore, with matches to be played at Tribhuvan University.

Updated: October 27, 2023, 9:47 AM

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