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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Khawar, Butt shine as Enhance end Muscat’s unbeaten run

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MUSCAT: Enhance’s run machine Khawar Ali perhaps played the most important knock of this season, enabling his side to put an end to Muscat CT’s winning streak as well as pierce an aura of invincibility it was beginning to build with a spade of scintillating victories. With Khawar’s rock solid 88 and Enhance’s five-wicket win at Ministry Of Sports ground 1, Muscat now look beatable, giving other Premier Division sides new hope of laying their hands on the championship trophy.


Calling correctly was the first right decision by Enhance followed by the calculated move to bowl first rather than bat. Muscat would have believed, and rightly so, that it has had its bases covered when it scored a significant 253 for 9 in 50 overs. Enhance proved it wrong and its own assessment of its batting prowess right by chasing down the total with five wickets and nearly six overs still in hand. Captain Khawar Ali’s stubborn 88 not out along with a classy 75 by Sanuth Mohammed Ibrahim as well as the usual late order little cameo, once again, by Khurram Khan made Muscat’s fighting total look small. After all, 250 plus targets rarely get chased down in Oman’s Premier Division League.


Muscat had its magical moments too. Just when it looked like Ahmed Fayyaz Butt will run through the most dependable batting line-up this season, Ashish Odedara and Ayaan Khan scored fighting fifties, forging a partnership that lent Muscat score a lot of weight and authority. In the end, when Enhance batted, a good 44 overs later, this total proved to be insufficient and achievable, throwing Premier Division wide open… once again.


Brief scores: Muscat CT 253 for 9 in 50 overs (Ayaan Khan 73 – 5x4, 2x6, Ashish Odedara 58 – 5x4, Swapnil Khadye 35, 5x4, 1x6, Waibhav Wategaokar 26 – 3x4. Ahmed Fayyaz Butt 3-44, Sanuth Mohammed Ibrahim 2-44) lost to Enhance 257 for 5 in 44.3 overs (Khawar Ali 88 not out – 12x4, Sanuth Mohammed Ibrahim 75, 5x4, 4x6, Khurram Khan 35 – 3x4, 2x6. Ayaan Khan 2-56) by five wickets.


Ashan powers Renaissance win


Renaissance all-rounder Ashan Dinura scored an unbeaten 68 and then bagged five wickets to script a one-sided 139-run victory over high-flying Glory Bower Strikers in an A Division match at Ministry of Sports ground 2 in Al Amerat on Friday.


Batting first, Renaissance scored 228 for 9 in 50 overs with Ashan topscoring with a brilliant half century. Nikhil Uttam Shinde (33) and Bermuda (30) batted well too.


Ashan ran through Strikers’ batting order, taking five wickets for 18 as they were bundled out for just 89 in the 27th over.


It was a fine performance from the Renaissance team with both the bat and ball.


Strikers tried their best to keep themselves going but it was just not enough.


Brief scores: Renaissance 228 for 9 in 50 overs (Ashan Dinura 68 not out – 3x4, Nikhil Uttam Schinde 33 – 2x4, Bermuda 30 – 4x4, 1x6. Ruban Durai 2-22, Aadil Mohammed 2-41, Vineet Pal Singh 2-43) defeated Glory Bower Strikers 89 all out in 26.2 overs (Vijayanand 30 – 3x4, 2x6, Anup Rajan 29 – 3x4. Ashan Dinura 5-18, Rauf 2-14, Amith Eranda 2-22) by 139 runs.


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