Sharjah: Emirates Falcon Noble Cricket Club (EFNCC) emerged as the best from among the 32 teams to lift the The Si’yam Cup 2017 held at the Hamriyah Grounds, defeating Sealine Redflower Tech by 101 runs.
This tournament, which was staged for a noble cause, donated a share of their returns from the event to the UNICEF children fund in India to honour the year of giving. Click2Buy.com, Global Computers LLC and Unilog Shipping supported the event in cash and kind.
EFNCC and Sealine Redflower Tech, the two undefeated teams in the tournament, clashed in the final.
Sealine elected to field and EFNCC’s got off to a breezy start through Hafiz Kaleem’s 38 runs in 18 balls and Babar Ghazanfar’s 48 runs in 33 balls. In-form Yasir Kaleem accelerated the run rate through his 70 runs in 43 balls and 113 runs partnership with Babar. Wicketkeeper Abdul Shakoor ran out Yasir through a direct throw at the non-striker’s stump. B. Muhammed hit 56 runs in 32 balls with six sixes and two fours to give EFNCC a mammoth score of 247 for four in 20 overs.
In reply, Sealine’s openers Ashfaque Ahmed and Siby Chacko began confidently but Ehsan Khan removed Siby while wicketkeeper Kaleem avenged his run out by running out Shakoor. Umar Muhammad took two quicks wickets in Amjad Gul for a duck and Vipin Venu for 15. Though Ashfaque went on to hit 86 runs off 43 balls with six sixes and eight fours, wickets kept falling at the other end. Sealine Redflower were all out for 146 in 16.3 overs.
Speaking to Gulf News, the tournament chief organisers Asim Shiakh and Dr. Romit Purohit, said: “The turnout of 32 teams participating in a tournament for a good cause was encouraging. We presented a gold-plated winner trophy weighing 8.2kg and four feet tall. Such a big trophy was the first of its kind in Hamriyah.”
The organisers made it special by presenting individual awards that could be beneficial for the winners. The best batsman Muhammad Boota was presented a bat and cash award by RSM Gears, while the most economical bowler as well as highest wicket taker Fawad Ghafoor was given shoes along with a cash award by Global Computers.
