Shuaib stars as OCT Muscat upset Sinha
Batting first, Sinha were bowled out for 113. In reply, OCT Muscat scored 117 for eight with Shuaib making 52 in 47 deliveries
MUSCAT: Star Omani all-rounder Shuaib Ismail Al Balushi commissioned all his talent to survive a searing spell of fast bowling by Sinha pacer Fonzeka who threatened to win the game single-handedly for his team OCT Muscat while chasing a lowly 113 in an A Division league cricket match at MOS Ground I.
OCT Muscat did finally reach the target but not before losing eight wickets in the process. Shuaib struck eight fours in his match-winning knock of 52 off 47 balls. Majid Hussain Al Balushi was the other notable scorer with a fighting 21.
Fonzeka returned impressive figures of six wickets for 26 runs in nine overs, two of which were maidens. Baddage Don claimed two for 22.
Sinha, put in to bat first, struggled against the onslaught of OCT Muscat bowlers and were bowled out for a meagre 113. Only Lakmal showed some resistance, scoring 31. Zubair Akbar Al Balushi turned out to be the most successful bowler, taking five wickets for 36 in his quote of 10 overs.
Brief scores: Sinha 113 all out in 38 overs (Lakmal 31; Zubair Akbar Al Balushi 5/36) lost to 117 for 8 in 24.1 overs (Shuaib Ismail Al Balushi 52, Majid Hussain Al Balushi 21; Fonzeka 6/26, Baddage Don 2/22).
Mott Macdonald rout MARH
A brilliant all-round display by Sagar Ingle powered Mott Macdonald to an eight-wicket win over Moosa Abdul Rahman Hassan (MARH) in a D Division T20 encounter at Municipality Ground II.
Chasing a modest target of 125, Mott Macdonald raced to victory in just 11.4 overs thanks to a brilliant 51 by Sagar who had also bowled well to claim two wickets. Earlier middle order batsman Vishal Shetty played a responsible knock of 64 to lend MARH innings some momentum.
Brief scores: MARH 125 for 5 (Vishal Shetty 64, Mohammed IrfanIsrar 30; Sagar Ingle 2/17, Jijo Jackson 2/27) lost to 126 for 2 (Sagar Ingle 51, Tawsif Tambe 38).
Victory for Gazal Spices
Gazal Spices got their season off to a flying start, beating Oasis Water by four wickets in an E Division match at Municipality Ground III.
Opting to bowl first, Gazal Spices restricted Oasis Water to 135 and then chased the total down in just 14.3 overs.
Brief scores: Oasis Water 135 for 5 (Jerrin Davis 44, Anoop Kizhakke 27; R. Viyath 2/19) lost to 136 for 6 (Owais Muhammed 38, Sajeev Sebastian 38).
Sushil stars for Khalsa
Khalsa United put up a solid show in the season’s first outing, wining their F Division match against RAHRC by 57 runs, thanks to brilliant all-round display by Sushil Kadam at Municipality Ground IV.