Malaysia clinch controversial last-over win

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Malaysia 208 (Alagaratnam 61, Faiz 50, Riazat 4-24) beat Uganda 199 (Muhumuza 38, Achelam 36, Syahadat 4-21) by nine runs

Muhammad Syahadat celebrates after bowling Bilal Hassan for his fourth wicket Peter Della Penna

WCL Division Four hosts Malaysia avenged a thumping defeat 11 months ago at Division Three, with a dramatic last over run-out to clinch a nine-run win over Uganda at the Kinrara Oval. However, the finish was shrouded in controversy, with Uganda questioning the validity of the run-out, as Suhan Alagaratnam's underarm throw from cover never actually hit the stumps at the striker's end. Video evidence viewed afterward by ESPNcricinfo supported their claim.

Chasing 209, Uganda needed 16 off 24 balls with two wickets in hand. But Malaysia's spinners built up the pressure with a tight infield ring that cut off runs. It resulted in Bilal Hassan forcing a pull off a good length ball from Muhammad Syahadat, and dragging it onto his stumps for 10.

With 10 needed off the final over, and the set Deusdedit Muhumuza off strike, Henry Ssenyondo nudged a good length ball from left-arm spinner Virandeep Singh into the covers. Alagaratnam swooped in and threw underarm into the ground, the ball bouncing five times before skidding toward the stumps. However, video replays showed that the ball never deviated after crossing the stumps, and instead carried on along its path towards fine leg, whereas a natural deflection off the stumps should have taken it to midwicket.

Square-leg umpire Isaac Oyieko of Kenya upheld Malaysia's appeal and ruled Muhumuza out, prompting the batsman to hurl his bat across the pitch. The implication from the video replay is that Malaysia's wicketkeeper Shafiq Sharif may have inadvertently knocked a bail off when making contact with the stumps. Sharif was credited for the run-out by the official scorers, though he never came in contact with the ball, further clouding the picture.

The ending marred what was a thrilling chase that Uganda arguably gave away with some poor shots on a flat surface. Man-of-the-Match Syahadat struck the telling blow, when he pinned Fred Achelam, playing around his pads for 36, ending a 54-run stand with Muhumuza. Syahadat then burrowed through the tail, ending with figures of 4 for 21.

Earlier, Alagaratnam and Ahmed Faiz had set up Malaysia for a defendable total with a pair of half-centuries, after Malaysia chose to bat under clear skies.

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Ahmed Faiz 86 hands Malaysia second win in low-scoring game

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In a tense low-scoring affair, Ahmed Faiz was the difference with an innings of 86 off 101 balls - the next-best score from the line-up was 27 - in a 23-run win over Vanuatu at Kinrara Oval to put Malaysia on the path to promotion with two wins out of two games. Vanuatu, meanwhile, may be on the road to relegation after starting off with two losses at WCL Division Four.

Vanuatu took wickets at regular intervals after sending Malaysia in as the hosts' best partnership of the day was 44 runs. But Faiz stuck around till the 35th over after arriving at the crease 11 balls into the match, anchoring Malaysia and providing them just enough runs to defend for the second day in a row at Kinrara.

After 20 overs, Vanuatu were well on course in their 197-run chase having reached 63 for 2. But Patrick Matautaava edged behind off the spin of Virandeep Singh in the next over. Captain Andrew Mansale and player-coach Shane Deitz rallied Vanuatu back in contention with a 54-run fourth-wicket stand but Vanuatu lost Mansale for 26 and key allrounder Nalin Nipiko for a golden duck in the space of four balls to make it 119 for 5 in the 38th.

Deitz struggled to get adequate support down the stretch from Vanuatu's long tail as the run rate climbed dramatically. By the end of the 45th, Vanuatu needed more than ten per over to win. Deitz slammed a boundary straight past Syed Aziz in the following over, Vanuatu's first boundary since Deitz hit one in the 34th, but Aziz foxed him with a change of pace on the next delivery to bowl Deitz for 46. The 42-year-old has top-scored for Vanuatu in both matches at Division Four - 36 against Jersey and 46 against Malaysia - since his remarkable international debut following a right-hip replacement surgery just seven months ago, but both his efforts have been in vain.

Aziz finished with figures of 2 for 22 to lead the way for Malaysia with the ball while offspinner Mohammad Shukri helped spin out the tail with 2 for 39. For the second day in a row, a run-out by wicketkeeper Shafiq Sharif - this one far less controversial than the one against Uganda - clinched victory as Sharif's throw into the non-striker's stumps denied Callum Blake's attempt to steal a leg bye in the final over.

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