New Delhi, February 18 Young Alishan Sharafu enjoyed a charmed life with two reprieves, but Anrich Nortje, playing his first match of the T20 World Cup, bowled with pace and accuracy to restrict the United Arab Emirates to 122 for 6 in a meaningless final group game here on Wednesday.
With Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen rested before the important Super Eights fixture against India in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Nortje (2/28 in 4 overs) and Corbin Bosch (3/12 in 4 overs) bowled consistently with short, fast deliveries, as the UAE batting unit never really looked in control.
While Sharafu managed a 38-ball 45 with five fours and a six, he was lucky due to the "clumsy" Proteas fielders, who dropped two catches.
With overcast conditions and floodlights on, Aiden Markram made the right decision to bowl first and unleash his pace battery on the weaker opposition, trying to exploit the underlying moisture.
Although captain Muhammad Waseem (22 off 12 balls) and Aryansh Sharma managed to get a few boundaries by timing the pace, it was left-arm spinner George Linde who got the first breakthrough.
Waseem attempted to sweep a fuller delivery and was left stranded in front.
Once the powerplay ended, the UAE batters, apart from Sharafu's attacking strokes, struggled to cope with the pace and bounce on offer.
Sohaib Khan, who had back-to-back half-centuries against Canada and Afghanistan, was clueless when Bosch let one fly and all he could do was to nick it to Quinton de Kock behind the stumps.
The fact that the UAE hit 10 boundaries in all, with Sharafu and Waseem contributing nine cumulatively, highlights how the UAE faded.
Just as the UAE innings ended, a steady drizzle forced the ground staff to cover the centre square.
