By K.R. Nayar
No one could have asked for a better finish to one of the UAE’s oldest and prestigious tournament. The final day of the 33rd Sharjah Ramadan League 2022 powered by Fancode S10 tournament was a cricket lovers’ delight with thrills and splendid display of skills. Through a span of six weeks, Sharjah Cricket organized 86 matches as part of the second innings of the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) aimed at unearthing local talent. This Ramadan tournament, played in twenty20 and ten-over formats, started one week before Ramadan and concluded a week after Ramadan. Both formats staged 43 matches each under floodlights at the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Muhammad Waseem made it a special ending by hogging the limelight through a spectacular captain’s knock of 89, taking two catches, and bagging one wicket, to ensure Brothers Gas emerge as the Cup champions. His show resulted in Brothers Gas beating HKSZ by 34 runs in a final that ended past mid-night at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Earlier, Fair Deal Defenders set the tone for a stunning finish to this tournament through a nail-biting three wicket win over MGM Cricket Club in the final of the Plate event.
A captain’s show
The Cup final began with HKSZ Stars opting to field with the hope of restricting Brothers Gas to a score that they would be able to reach comfortably. But what followed was a thrashing of their bowling attack. The batsman who did the damage was Brothers Gas’s opener and captain Muhammad Waseem. He piled up runs with ease in almost every over. Incidentally, Waseem had got out for a duck to the first ball in the semifinal, and his batting in the final looked like he was taking revenge over such a humiliation.
Waseem cracked 89 runs off 36 balls with seven boundaries and seven sixes. So belligerent was his knock that many of his sixes flew out of the ground. Waseem, who has been consistent in almost all the limited over tournaments finals, be it a twenty20 or a ten over format, did the same in this final too. His aggressiveness is such that he makes the bowlers look helpless. It’s a treat to watch him bat and he proved that he is UAE’s most aggressive batsman beyond any doubt. He made his opening partner Hamdan Tahir play the supporting role. Young Tahir, who preferred to play the ground shots and provide Waseem with the strike, remained unbeaten on 35 off 23 balls with seven boundaries.
Waseem looked like he would get his century easily. However, he got run out to the third ball of the last over. Usman Khan joined Hamdan and scored eight runs before getting run out to the last ball of the over. Waseem’s aggressive batting display gave Brothers Gas a commanding total of 146 for 2 in 10 overs.
Chasing such a huge target needed a fine batting display, like the one Waseem produced. Unfortunately for HKSZ that did not happen. Opener Anas Mustafa and Khalil Ur Rehman scored briskly posting 42 runs in just 2.2 overs. Just when it looked like they were gaining momentum for the chase, Khalil fell to Matiullah Khan for 18. At the score on 53, Anas Mustafa too followed falling to the guiles of Muhammad Waseem for 25. Thereafter wickets began to fall regularly. Mohammad Saleem fell to the tricky Muhammad Azhar for 1 and Adeel Meo too handed his wicket to Azhar for 4.
At the score on 60, Farhan Nazir too fell to Umer Farooq and half the side was back in the dug-out. The only batsman to put up some resistance after this was Abdul Ghaffar who hit 25 off eight balls with four sixes. Incidentally, all of his four sixes were hit off Usman Khan’s first four deliveries of the last over. He fell attempting a fifth six getting caught by Muhammad Waseem. HKSZ thus got restricted to 112 for 7 in 10 overs.
Fair Deal Defenders’ race to the title
In the Plate final, MGM Cricket Club won the toss and elected to bat. It was a good start for MGM with openers Rao Khyam and Hameed Khan putting on 47 in 4.2 overs. All that was needed was to build on the good start they got from their top order batsmen. The first to go was Hameed Khan caught behind by wicketkeeper Muhammad Imran off the shrewd Fair Deal Defenders’ skipper Yasir Maharvi. MGM Skipper Ansar Khan and Rao Khyam then took the score to 76 in 6.2 overs. That was when Rao Khyam got stumped by wicketkeeper Muhammad Imran off Farhan Ahmad for 41. His knock came off 24 balls with seven boundaries.
The big blow for MGM was when Rahul Chopra, who was later adjudged the best batsman of the tournament, got bowled by Rizwan Amanat for 3. Muhammad Hassan and Ansar Khan took the score past the 100 run mark. Ansar Khan remained unconquered on 45 off just 17 balls with three boundaries and four sixes and MGM Cricket Club posted a challenging 118 for 4 in 10 overs.
Fair Deal Defenders lost an early wicket when their opener and wicketkeeper Muhammad Imran got out to the accurate Safiullah Noor for 3 in the second over. Opener Wajid Khan and Fahad Tariq took the score 54 in 3.3 overs when Wajid Khan got caught by Danish Qureshi off Nawab Khan for 15. Rizwan Amanat and Fahad Tariq took the score to 80 in 6.2 overs before Rizwan Amanat departed scoring 18 runs. The man behind this dismissal too was Danish Qureshi who ran Amanat out. Dansih Qureshi also ran out Fahad Tariq for 33.
When Baseer Ahmad had Suleman Khalid out for 9 at the score on 100 in 8.2 overs, it turned out to be anybody’s game. Twelve runs later when Fair Deal Defenders were seven runs short of winning the match, Syed Saqlian got run out for a duck. At the same score Muhammad Saghir Khan, who looked like taking the team to the target, got trapped leg before by Ansar Khan for 19 to the first ball of the last over.
Arslan Javaid Mughal walked in with his team needing seven runs from the last five balls. He scored a double off the second ball from Ansar Khan and then hit the third ball for a boundary to long off and equal the score. Off the fourth ball he got a single and remained unbeaten with 7 and returned to receive a hero’s welcome.
The colourful prize giving ceremony was attended by Khalaf Bukhatir, CEO Sharjah Cricket, Naseer Akram former Secretary General of Emirates Cricket Board, Mazhar Khan, General Manager Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Asif Butt, General Manger Green Solutions and your’s truly.
The individual award winners for their fine performances were:
Player of the tournament and final: Muhammad Waseem
Best batsman: Rahul Chopra (MGM Cricket Club)|
Best bowler: Ansar Khan (MGM Cricket Club)
Brief scores:
Cup final: Brothers Gas bt HKSZ Stars by 34 runs. Brothers Gas 146 for 2 in 10 overs (Muhammad Waseem 89, Hamdan Tahir 35n.o) HKSZ Stars 112 for 7 in 10 overs (Anas Mustafa 25, Abdul Ghaffar 25, Matiullah khan 2 for 19).
Our Souq Player of the Match: Muhammad Waseem
Plate final: Fair Deal Defenders bt MGM Cricket Club by 3 wkts. MGM Cricket Club 118 for 4 in 10 overs (Rao Khyam Abbas 41, Ansar Khan 45n.o, Farhan Ahmad 2 for 12) Fair Deal Defenders 119 for 6 in 9.4 overs (Fahad Tariq 33).
Our Souq Player of the Match: Rizwan Amanat