Jumeirah Mammoths champs

dubai — The match between Jumeirah Mammoths and Nad Al Sheba Mammoths had all the ingredients of a final. There were two fifties, top order collapses followed by rearguard revivals. And at the end of it the crowd witnessed a nail-biting match which was won with a wicket in hand and five balls to spare.

All this action took place at The Sevens ground on Saturday in which Jumeirah managed to squeak past NAS to emerge champions of the fourth edition of the League of Mammoths cricket tournament.

NAS won the toss and decided to take first strike but nothing seemed to go right as Deepak Patel and Bobby Suri pegged them back with wickets at regular intervals.

By the 12th over NAS were struggling on 55 runs with six of their batsmen back in the pavilion.

Someone had to break the shackles and Abhay Chavan and Abid Choudhary did just that with a 79run partnership. While Abhay’s run-a-ball 66 was studded with four fours, Abid stepped on the gas with a brisk 50 from just 34 balls. The best batsman of the tournament struck five fours and two towering sixes.

A total of 165 was not something to boast about — they could have had more in the kitty but for the two run-outs — but it surely gave the NAS bowlers something to defend.

They came back strongly and soon Jumeirah found themselves in a similar position as NAS were when they batted — reeling at 56 for 6.

It took Shajil Balan and man of the match Sujit Salian to do the rescue act. Shajil got 31 runs from 26 balls (2x4) and departed.

The onus was now on Sujit to carry his team home with solid support from player of the tournament Sheridan Hadfield.

The duo raised 60 crucial runs but it was Sheridan’s 33 from just 17 balls which turned the match in Jumeirah’s favour.

NAS did get his Sheridan’s wicket but by then the job was almost done as Sujit carried his bat through for his unbeaten 41.