Dubai
C.P. Rizwan missed his eighth century in domestic cricket by one run in the ninth Al Dhaid Gold Cup against Sharjah Cricket Club. Playing for Alubond Tigers, allrounder Rizwan then went on to take two crucial wickets and ensured a victory for his team.
Speaking to Gulf News, Rizwan described his race to century. “I needed ten runs off the last over to reach my century. Off the last ball I needed two runs but UAE pacer Zahoor Khan bowled a brilliant yorker. I dug it out and managed one run.”
It was a tense match with Sharjah Club chasing Alubond Tigers’s score of 199. “I ensured victory for my team taking two crucial wickets of Kashif Daud [23] and Khalid Moothosamy [13]. It’s always nice to contribute to a victory though miss a century,” added Rizwan.
With Faizan Asif (36), Rizwan had put on 56 runs for the first wicket before he ran out of partners. Though he lost partners regularly he kept his calm and went for his strokes. His 99 came off 111 to ensure Alubond got a challenging 199 for 8 in 40 overs.
For Sharjah Cricket Club, Anurag Nishad picked three wickets while South African players Khalid Moothosamy and Haacke Van Rouenstein took 2 wickets each.
Chasing a tricky target, UAE’s young opener Chirag Suri hit 58 from 67 deliveries peppered with four boundaries while Adnan Mufti chipped in with 34. Alubond’s Fayyaz Ahmad and Asif Mumtaz bowled in tandem to scalp three wickets backed by Rizwan’s two-wicket spell.
In another match, Sharjah Cricket Club defeated Defenders CC by 113 runs riding on Chirag Suri and Adnan Mufti half centuries.
Brief scores: Alubond Tigers bt Sharjah Cricket Club by 11 runs. Alubond Tigers: 199 for 8 in 40 overs (Faizan Asif 36, C.P. Rizwan 99 n.o., Anurag Nishad 3 for 31, Haacke Van Rouenstein 2 for 39, Khalid Moothosamy 2 for 23). Sharjah Cricket Club: 188 in 38.2 overs (Chirag Suri 58, Adnan Mufti 34, Kashif Daud 23, Fayaz Ahmad 3 for 30, Asif Mumtaz 3 for 22, C.P. Rizwan 2 for 31). Man of the match: C.P.Rizwan.
Sharjah Cricket Club bt Defenders CC by 113 runs. Sharjah Cricket Club: 263 for 8 in 40 overs (Chirag Suri 61, Adnan Mufti 89, Rohit Singh 35, Ali Asad 2 for 31, Yasir Maharvi 2 for 51). Defenders CC: 150 in 26.3 overs (Saif Ullah 50, Waseem Rana 31, Saud Afzal 26; Imran Haider 4 for 21, Anfal PM 3 for 40). Man of the match: Adnan Mufti.
