Dubai: UAE opener Amjad Ali and skipper Khurram Khan hit half-centuries to steer their team to a four-wicket win over Northern Territory in a match held as part of the International Cricket Council (ICC) High Performance Programme (HPP) for the four qualifiers of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, to be held in Australia and New Zealand.

After restricting Northern Territory to 202 in 45 overs, UAE reached the target in 43.4 overs. Ali topscored with 69 runs off 84 balls with six boundaries while Khurram hit a run-a-ball 51 with six boundaries. They put on 83 runs for the second wicket to help the UAE record their first victory of the tour.

Speaking to Gulf News over phone, Ali - who put on 47 runs for the opening wicket with Andri Berenger (16) and stayed on until UAE had crossed the 150-run mark in the 30th over - said: “I had worked really hard during the training camp for this tour to play the pull and cut shots correctly - as I knew that it would be needed to play on the bouncy wickets in Australia. I am so happy that all the hard wicket I put in during the practice with the guidance from the coaches is paying off now. I want to carry this form for the rest of the matches here.”

Left-handed Ali, who averages 53.40 in One Day International matches, also revealed that he had to modify his batting style in Australia. “The wickets are really faster and have more bounce and they are all totally different from the slow turning tracks in UAE. As the grounds are also bigger, one has to apply a totally different batting approach,” he added.

UAE had won the toss but elected to field at the Marrara Cricket Ground, which has hosted two Test matches so far and is also from where Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga made his Test debut in 2004. Northern Territory openers Solomon Mire and J. Dickman put on 41 runs before Mohammad Naveed trapped Dickman leg before for 7. Naveed also had next man Rueben Wakefield caught behind for a duck. Mire then became Naveed’s third victim for 37.

Two-down batsman Sampson Barnes came up with a resolute 73 while skipper and wicketkeeper Leigh Drennan scored 45 runs. Kamran Shazad struck repeatedly to take three wickets for 24 runs and bowled out Northern Territory. While Naveed’s three wickets cost 35 runs, Mohammad Shahzad bagged two wickets for 36 runs.

The UAE lost Ali with the score on 153 but Swapnil Patil weighed in with an unbeaten 30 and, alongside the in-form Shaiman Anwar, who remained unbeaten on 10, steered UAE to the target with 38 balls to spare.