BY : Syed Waseem Afzal
The heat is on with both the teams (Hong Kong & UAE) gearing up for the final clash at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Hong Kong and UAE have maintained their unbeaten run in the tournament, but what matters the most is who chokes on the big day.

UAE has looked impressive and played as a unit with contributions coming in from all the players while Hong Kong led by their experienced S Brew have looked composed and in irresistible form.

UAE would obviously start as pre-favourites but Hong Kong is here to pull of a surprise.

Lets have a close watch on both team’s road to the finals and the players they have been banking on.
Road to Final :

Hong Kong beat Malaysia by 17 runs.
Hong Kong beat Singapore by 53 runs.
Hong Kong beat Kuwait by 8 wickets.
Hong Kong beat Nepal by 179 runs.

UAE beat Nepal by 1 wicket.
UAE beat Maldives by 7 wickets.
UAE beat Japan by 6 wickets.
UAE beat Malaysia by 6 wickets.

PLAYER WATCH :

Hong Kong:
Hong Kong captain, S Brew is leading from the front and has been a major factor in their team’s unbeaten run in the tournament so far. Dangerous S Malik adds to the worries of the bowlers because when he gets going, he is unstoppable. We saw explosive batting from R Sharma in their encounter with Nepal. Right-handed Sharma would be looking to contribute a ton on the final day. Other key players for Hong Kong include wicketkeeper batsman M Davies, A French and S Lama who all can deliver for the team.

UAE :
UAE team comprising of young and experienced players have played as a unit with all-round performances pouring in every match.

Saeed Al Saffar is the man to watch. The captain blossomed in their first victory and then his players snatched the limelight in the following matches. M. Tauqir has bowled well throughout the tournament with a 5-wicket haul to his credit. In the batting department, B Malik is amongst runs and would love to weigh in with some runs from the top.

N Siddiqui has been the backbone of the team with 2 vital half centuries to his name. This man is in exquisite touch and has been unbeaten in the tournament so far.

An engrossing final is in our hands so keep your fingers crossed.