Nissan to lock horns with WH Abu Dhabi Gymkhana in final

ABU DHABI — Nissan Al Masaood will lock horns with William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana in the title clash of the Carpetland Ramadan Cup Twenty20 tournament at the Shaikh Zayed International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday night.

By James Jose

Published: Tue 7 Sep 2010, 11:25 PM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 2:57 AM

In the semifinals on Sunday night, Nissan Al Masaood scored a narrow four-run win over NMC, while, in the second semifinal, William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana cruised to a six-wicket victory over Phoenix Medicine.

Batting first, Nissan Al Masaood were all out for 131 in 19.4 overs. Captain Mohd. Usman top scored with 43 from 38 balls, which was studded with seven boundaries.

Zaheer Baig made 30 from 22 balls with three boundaries and a six. Nissan Al Masaood were restricted to such a score by Manjula Guruge, who snapped up four wickets for 21 runs.

In reply, NMC tried to make a match of it but fell short by four runs. Niresh Fernando, Asim Ijaz and Saqib Ali made good starts but failed to convert it to something more substantial.

Niresh Fernando scored 27 from 22 balls with four boundaries, while Asim Ijaz made 27 from 31 balls with two boundaries and a six. Saqib Ali made 23 from 26 balls with three boundaries. Sultan Ahmed picked up four wickets for 25, while Zaheer Baig took two for 18.

In the other semifinal, put into bat, Phoenix Medicine were shot out for 128 in 20 overs.

Haroon Ahmed top scored with 61 from 48 balls, which was peppered with nine boundaries and a six. Tahir Butt took three for 30, while Asim Khurshid picked up two for 28.

Chasing the target, William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana got home in 17.2 overs, losing four wickets.

Opener Irfan Haider top scored with 46 from 37 balls with five boundaries and a six. Mohd. Shafiq guided them home with an unbeaten 44 from 35 balls with four boundaries and two sixes.

The final will be played on Tuesday night.

Brief scores: Nissan Al Masaood: 131 all out in 19.4 overs (Mohd. Usman 43, Zaheer Baig 30, Manjula Guruge 4-21) beat NMC: 127 for 9 in 20 overs (Niresh Fernando 27, Asim Ijaz 27, Sultan Ahmed 4-25, Zaheer Baig 2-18) by 4 runs.

Phoenix Medicine: 128 all out in 20 overs (Haroon Ahmed 61, Tahir Butt 3-30, Asim Khurshid 2-28) lost to William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana: 132 for 4 in 17.2 overs (Irfan Haider 46, Mohd. Shafiq 44 n.o) by 6 wickets.

james@khaleejtimes.com