Ajman: Legends Cricket Club lived up to their name and played like champions to record a five-wicket win over Armaf Sterling to emerge as the champions of the first edition of the Arabian Super League Twenty20 tournament.
This tournament was held under the patronage of Ajman Cricket Council and organised by Maidan Technology and Century Cricket Club.
Winning the toss, Armaf Sterling opted to bat and got off to a good start through their opener Bilal Khalid who cracked an unbeaten 62 off 45 balls. Tariq Aman chipped in with 22 off 20 balls to help Armaf Sterling post a competitive total of 158 for 7 in 20 overs. Sajjad Malok of Legends picked two wickets in his four overs giving away only 18 runs backed by Mohammad Ashfaq too taking two wickets.
Chasing the target, Legends lost their hard-hitting opener Shehzad Ahmad for just seven runs. But Waseem Rana 36 stood strongly and with Saqib Azeem put on a fifty runs partnership. However the partnership that won the match was the 74 runs for the fourth wicket between Mohamadullah Khan (43) and Vishnu Vijay, who scored an unbeaten 41. The contest ended in style with Vishnu hitting the first ball of the 19th over for a huge six out of the ground to seal an emphatic victory.
Legends team captain Ajmal Masahir, who led from the front taking 11 wickets to finish as the top wicket taker, received the winners’ trophy and cash prize of Dh20,001 from former Pakistan Test star Hassan Raza.
For Armaf Sterling, it was a disappointing end as they had performed brilliantly throughout the tournament and had remained unbeaten till the final. Bilal Khalid of Armaf Sterlng tallied 232 runs to lead the batting unit while Mudassir Ebrahim topped the bowling with nine wickets.
Following the success of the first edition, Arabian Super League committee’s Mohan Raj announced that the second edition of the Arabian Super League will commence in November.
Brief scores:
Armaf Sterling 158 for 7 in 20 overs (Bilal Khalid 62n.o, Tariq Aman 22, Sajjad Malok 2 for 18) Legends Cricket Club 164 for 5 in 18.1 overs (Waseem Rana 36, Mohamadullah Khan 43, Vishnu Vijay 41n.o).
Individual awards
Best batsman: Abdullah Azhar of Panthers Cricket Club (scored 260 runs)
Best bowler: Mohammad Yousuf of Red Flowers Tourism (15 wickets).
Man of the Tournament : Abdullah Azhar Panthers Cricket Club (260 Runs, 8 Wickets & 1 Catch)
Highest individual score in an innings: Shehzad Mahmoud of Legends Cricket Club (123 Runs in 49 Balls)
