Shoaib, Latif shine in Qurum, Ghubrah victories
MUSCAT: Qurum Thunders rode on Shoaib Khan’s outstanding allround show to beat Ruwi Rangers by 6 runs in an entertaining sixhitting D20 Cricket League game at OC Turf 1 in Amerat on Sunday.
In a match that saw 18 sixes being hit, Shoaib topscored with a fluent 66 followed by a superb 44 by Hashir Dafedar as Qurum posted 177 on the board. Oman pacer Muhammed Nadeem bowled exceptionally well, taking 4 for 23 whereas Wasim Ali bagged 2 for 30.
Ruwi stayed in the game for much of its spirited chase before running out of wickets and falling short by 14 runs in the final over. Wasim Ali was its main scorer with a solid 46 off 36. Gustav Burger (30 off 26) and Husnain Ali (25 off 9) were the other notable batters. Shoaib was the pick of Qurum bowlers while Munis Ansari and Ganesh Chandrashekhar claimed two wickets each.
Brief Scores (D20): Qurum Thunders 177 for 7 in 20 overs (Shoaib Khan 66 – 5x4, 3x6, Hashir
Dafedar 44 – 4x3, 3x6, Muhammed Nadeem 4-23, Wasim Ali 2-30) beat Ruwi Rangers 163 all out in 19.1 overs (Wasim Ali 46 – 2x4, 3x6, Gustav Burger 30 – 3x4, Shoaib Khan 4-36, Munis Ansari 2-25, Ganesh Chandrashekhar 2-27) by 14 runs.
Latif powers Ghubrah to big win
In the day’s first game at the same venue, Imran Latif smashed an unbeaten 83 off only 41 balls to power Ghubrah Giants to an impressive 8-wicket victory against Azaiba XI on Sunday. Solid half centuries by Akmal Shahzad (77 off 52) and Arsalan Bashir (58 off 32) saw Azaiba to a robust 181 for 4 in 20 overs. Aqil Khan and Imran Latif bagged two wickets each.
Undaunted by a big target, Ghubrah raced to the victory in just 17.4 overs, scoring 185 for 2 thanks to brilliant batting by Latif, Abid Ali (53 not out off 37) and Ghazanfar Iqbal (41 off 19). Latif led the six-fest by whacking seven hits over the fence while Ghazanfar slammed five.
Brief Scores (D20): Azaiba
XI 181 for 4 in 20 overs (Akmal Shahzad 77 – 4x4, 5x6, Arsalan Bashir 58 – 2x4, 3x6, Aqil Khan 2-18, Imran Latif 2-35) lost to Ghubrah Giants 185 for 2 in 17.4 overs (Imran Latif 83 – 4x4, 7x6, Abid Ali 53 – 4x4, 2x6, Ghazanfar Iqbal 41 – 1x4, 5x6) by 8 wickets.
Mundhir bowls OCT Muscat to victory
Majid Hussein’s splendid 47 and Mundhir Al Balushi’s excellent 4 for 37 steered OCT Muscat to a 28-run win over OCT Al Hail A in a 30-over B Division League game at Muscat Municipality ground 2 in Amerat on Friday.
Apart from Majid’s top knock, Muscat relied on brilliant batting by Rashad Al Balushi (46) and Mohamed Aslam (30) to reach a respectable 171 for 5 in 30 overs. Nadhir Ghulam and Hisham Shafi took two wickets each.
Pushed back by Mudhir’s superb spell, OCT Al Hail folded up for 143 in 25.4 overs. Khalid Al Balushi, Arif Al Balushi and Mohamed Aslam claimed two wickets each.
Brief Scores (B Division): OCT
Muscat 171 for 5 in 30 overs (Majid Hussein 47 – 2x4, Rashad Al Balushi 46 – 4x4, Mohamed Aslam 30 – 4x4, Nadhir Ghulam 2-31, Hisham Shafi 2-34) beat Oct Al Hail ‘A’ 143 all out in 25.4 overs (Abdul Jalil 58 – 7x4, 1x6, Mundhir Al Balushi 4-37, Khalid Al Balushi 2-7, Arif Al Balushi 2-24, Mohamed Aslam 2-36) by 28 runs.
Asghar stars in Bank Muscat win
In another B Division match, Asghar Khan’s super 60 off 43 and Abbas Al Balushi’s magnificent 3 for 18 were the highlights of Bank Muscat’s 63-run victory against OCT Seeb at Muscat Municipality ground 1.
Bank Muscat’s 236 all out also saw a solid 54 off 42 by Amir Mehmood. Haroon Al Balushi and Osman AB picked up two wickets each.
OCT Seeb failed to reach the target as it was restricted to 173 for 9, Haroon Al Balushi topscoring with 42 off 46. Abbas bowled brilliantly in his five-over spell, taking 3 wickets for only 18 runs. Benny Mathew bagged 2 for 25.