MUSCAT: Superb all-round show by Mohammed Nooran steered AER to a big 134-run win over Arabian Region Travel and Tourism (ARTT) in a 50-over A Division game at Oman Cricket grassy ground 2 in Amerat.
Batting first, AER scored 249 for 7 thanks to solid batting contributions by Muzaffar Hassan (49), Mohammed Nooran (46), Sajeed Ahmed (37) and Ghazanfar Iqbal (36). Sachin Kumar claimed 3 for 52 while Parameshwaran Shankar took 2 for 28.
ARTT failed to stage a fight, folding up for a meagre 115 in the 23rd over due to brilliant bowling by Chadith Lakmal (3 for 9) and Mohammed Nooran (2 for 20).
Brief scores (A Division): AER 249 for 7 in 50 overs (Muzaffar Hasan 49 – 3x4, 3x6, Mohammed Nooran 46 – 2x4, Sajeed Ahmed 37 – 5x4, Ghazanfar Iqbal 36 – 8x4. Sachin Kumar 3-52, Parameswaran Shankar 2-28) trounced Arabian Region Travel and Tourism (ARTT) 115 all out in 22.4 overs (Sachin Kumar 27 – 2x4, 1x6. Chadith Lakmal 3-9, Mohamed Nooran 2-20), Rubel Abdus Satter 2-26) by 134 runs.
Toseef takes ACT to victory
Toseeful Hassan picked up four wickets to help ACT to an exciting 4-wicket victory against OCT Ruwi in a 30-over B Division clash at Muscat Municipality ground 1 in Amerat.
Opting to bat first, Ruwi could not bat out its quota of over, getting dismissed for 182. Ali Akbar led the batting honours with 67 off 46 including 2 sixes while Ibrahim al Harthy scored 38. Apart from Toseef’s 4 for 31, Rajesh Devashya and Ilyas Afreedi claimed three wickets each.
ACT did not have much trouble chasing down the target, scoring 184 for 6 in the 26th over. Ghufran Anjum and Iftikhar Ahmed batted superbly, scoring 53 and 51 respectively to pave the way for victory. Imran al Balushi was quite impressive with the ball, taking 4 for 36 in six overs.
Brief Scores (B Division): OCT Ruwi 182 all out in 27.2 overs (Ali Akbar 67 – 9x4, 2x6, Ibrahim Sulaiman al Harthy 38 – 4x4. Toseeful Hassan 4-31, Rajesh Devashya 3-29, Ilyas Afreedi 3-35) lost to ACT 184 for 6 in 25.3 overs (Ghufran Anjum 53 – 8x4, Iftikhar Ahmed 51 – 7x4. Imran al Balushi 4-36) by 4 wickets.
LC Tech beats CT Seeb
In another B Division encounter, a match-winning 131-run partnership between openers Sajeev Sathyanandan (64) and Supriya Soumitra (59) saw LC Tech to a thumping 49-run win over OCT Seeb at Muscat Municipality ground 2.
LC Tech posted a sizeable 229 for 6 in 30 overs thanks to brilliant batting by the openers. Amir Atta and Younis Rehmat took two wickets each.
OCT Seeb was on track till its star opener Issa Abdul Rahim al Balushi (85 off 51) was batting but crumbled under pressure after his exit at 127 in 18th over, getting dismissed for 180 in 26.4 overs. Issam Othman chipped in with a fluent 24. Ravindu Weeramuni and Shreyash Samir claimed three and two wickets respectively.
Brief Scores (B Division): LC Tech 229 for 6 in 30 overs (Sajeev Sathyanandan 64 – 11x4, Supriya Soumitra 59 – 7x4, Amir Atta al Balushi 2-41, Younis Rahmat 2-49) defeated OCT Seeb 180 all out in 26.4 overs (Issa al Balushi 85 – 16x4, 2x6, Issam Othman 24 – 3x4, Ravindu Weeramuni 3-27, Shreyash Samir 2-33, Rahul Ramachandran 2-10) by 49 runs.
Mubashar, Ruwan shine in Zubair’s win
Magnificent spell of bowling by Mubashar Iqbal, who bagged 6 for 18, powered Zubair CT to a solid 5-wicket victory against OCT Al Hail A in a C Division match at Muscat Municipality ground 3.
OCT Al Hail was on its way to a big total, scoring 93 without loss in 11 overs before Mubashar was brought on to bowl his first over as fourth change by Zubair captain Mohsin Abbas Zaidi, causing a dramatic collapse. Only 7.2 overs later, 4 of which were bowled by Mubashar, the whole OCT Al Hail side was sent back to pavilion for a dismal 129. Omani spinner Khalid Moosa claimed 2 for 6 in the eight balls he bowled.
Zubair found itself in a spot of bother when it lost its first three wickets in 5 overs for only 24 runs. Ruwan Rupa Sighe once again came to its rescue with an invaluable 55 not out off 42 balls to help Zubair to victory with three overs to spare. Sunil Kumar and Mohammed Wasim contributed 24 each.
Brief Scores (C Division): OCT Al Hail A 129 all out in 18.2 overs (Ismail bin Ghulam al Balushi 59 – 8x4, 1x6, Younis Rahim al Balushi 21 – 2x4, Mubashar Iqbal 6-18, Moosa 2-6) lost to Zubair 131 for 5 in 17 overs (Ruwan Rupa Sighe 55 – 4x4, Sunil Kumar 24 – 3x4, Mohammed Wasim 24 – 1x4, 1x6, Mohammed Siddiq 2-18) by 5 wickets
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