Kuwait and Oman score big wins on opening day
sharjah — Kuwait and Oman registered massive victories on the opening day of the Asian Cricket Council’s Under-16 Western Region tournament being held in the UAE.
While Kuwait defeated Saudi Arabia by 237 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Oman secured a huge 10-wicket victory over Maldives at the Ajman’s Eden Garden.
Saudi Arabia’s decision to field first after winning the toss turned out to be a nightmare as Kuwait made full use of the opportunity.
It was skipper Abdul Sadiq who was the cornerstone behind Kuwait’s big score. After opener Gokul Sunil Kumar (44, 40b) and Meet Bhavsar (37, 42b) provided a fine start, Sadiq took charge of the proceedings smashing 16 boundaries and two sixes during his 67ball stay to hammer a superb 126.
Govind Sunil Kumar chipped in with a 26-ball 32 while Faez Ahmed Q provided the final touches with a 15 as Kuwait posted a huge 297 for eight in 35 overs.
Already under pressure Saudi Arabia were no match to they were shot out for a paltry 60 in 24.1 overs.
Naman Kirankumar Patel, Zeeshan Azeem J, Jandu Hamoud Amanullah and Abdul Sadiq all claimed two wickets each for the winners. In the other match, after put in to bat, Maldives made a relatively decent start with openers Ali M Ivan (14) and Mohamed IS (15) sharing 44 runs for the first wicket.
But after both departed in a span of three balls, things began to look grim for Maldives. Mohamed Ahusan spend some time facing 27 balls to score a gritty 17 while Abdulla Naisam Ismail and Rasheed R scored an identical 10 as Maldives managed a mere 104 for eight in 35 overs.