Man of the Match: Saim Khan
Sharjah: It seems nothing can stop cricket lovers in the UAE from following the sport not even the scorching summer heat!
The introduction of the Twenty20 cricket tournament, by the Sharjah Cricket Council, has seen cricketers in the UAE carry on with the sport, defying the mid-summer heat.
With each match lasting only three hours, cricketers here are able to play in tournaments even during the off-season.
The UAE’s domestic cricket season usually ends by June and resumes only from September. But with the Twenty20 tournament, cricket councils can now remain active even in summer.
This tournament has attracted 20 teams from different parts of the UAE. Each session of the match is of 1 hour and 15 minutes, with a 15-minute break between each innings.
“With this abbreviated version of the game generating tremendous interest among local clubs, fans and corporate houses, I’m confident the day isn’t too far when associate members of the ICC will join the full members in playing the game at the international level.” said Mazhar Khan, the administrator of the Emirates Cricket Board.
In the opening match of the tournament, Tiger Cricket Club defeated Time Travel by seven wickets.
The heroes of this match were Mohammad Ramzan and Bilal. Ramzan cracked a 50 off 33 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes, while Bilal hit an unbeaten 44 off 35 balls with seven fours.
Seven Seas Rent-A-Car recorded a hard-fought win over Febis Computers in another match. Batting first, Seven Seas scored 136 and then restricted Febis to 123.
The Globelink-Dubai Bank match was a one-sided affair as Globelink trounced the bankmen by 77 runs. Shabbir hit a half-century for Globelink.
Brief scores
Tiger CC bt Time Travel by seven wickets: Time Travel 133 for 8 (Kamran 31; Fauaz 2 for 13, Azam 2 for 33). Tiger CC 138 for 3 in 16.3 overs (Mohammad Ramzan 50, Bilal 44 not out, Amjad Ali 24).
Man of the Match: Mohammad Ramzan.
Globelink Weststar CC beat Dubai Bank CC by 77 runs:
Globelink Weststar 180 for 5 (Shabbir 52, Jarnail Singh 29, Prashant 25, Ebrahim 22; Thomas 2 for 22). Dubai Bank 103 for 7 (Sanath 37; Ajith 2 for 16, Akwal 2 for 8).
Man of the Match: Shabbir.
Seven Seas Rent-A-Car CC bt Febis Computers CC by won by 13 runs:
Seven Seas Rent-A-Car 136 in 18 overs (Kashif 33, Azeem 31, Shoaib 20; Vinay 3 for 23, Deepak 2 for 35, Rohit 2 for 29). Febis Computers 123 in 19.4 overs (Vinay 41, Rohit Behal 20; Saim Khan 3 for 18, Yasir 2 for 16).
