Emirates Islamic Bank ride wave of success

Dubai: Emirates Islamic Bank cricket team is creating waves in the ongoing Ramadan cricket tournaments in Sharjah, Dubai and Ajman.

They stunned the star-studded Eurocon Alubond team, whose ranks include several international players, to register their 22nd consecutive win of the season.

"My team's strong point is that everyone plays with an inherent desire to win matches," said captain Asim Kaleem.

"Every match they get motivated to perform better and beat the strong teams."

Kaleem has shown the way along with Faizan Asif in providing quick starts for the team. Both players have pedigree, having scored more than 2,000 runs last season.

In their victory over Eurcon in the Sharjah Ramadan Rufi Cup, Asif and Azhar Gul both hit half centuries.

Abdullah Mazhar also cracked a century to help beat Drydocks World in the Dulsco Ramadan tournament in Dubai. Meanwhile, in the Ajman Trucape Kibsons Ramadan Cup they topped their group to reach the quarterfinals.

"Most of my players are from Pakistan who have done well in domestic cricket there. I had represented Karachi under-19 zonal teams before coming here. We are all working cricketers but we all play with passion and our desire to play is unquenchable," saidKaleem.

"Last season we won three tournaments including the prestigious inter-bank tournament staged by Sharjah Council. This year we are on course to win four tournaments," he said.

"We have already beaten top teams like Fly Emirates, Khatri Club, Nucaf Tellicherry and the Lanka Lions three times. We want to set a new mark this season winning as many tournaments as possible in which we participated," he said.

Scores

Sharjah Ramadan Cup: Emirates Islamic Bank beat Eurocon Alubond by four wickets: Eurocon 157 for six (Safdar Nizar 45, Hasantha Fernando 30, Adnan Arif 2 for 21) Emirates Islamic Bank 159 for 6 in 19.1 overs (Faizan Asif 70, Azhar Gul 51; Gayan 3 for 24, Hasantha Fernado 2 for 29). Man of the match: Faizan Asif.

Ajman Ramadan Cup: Emirates Islamic Bank beat Universal Steel by six wickets. Universal Steel 172 for 9 (Jayaprakash Shetty 59, Hari Prasanna 25, Ahmad Raza 3 for 26, Adnan Arif 2 for 25). Emirates Islamic Bank 174 for 4 in 18.4 Overs (Faizan Asif 49, Asim Kaleem 31, Adnan Arif 35, Azhar Gul 25 no, Adarsh 2 for 39). Man of the match : Faizan Asif.

Fortune Group beat Pak Emirates by six wickets. Pak Emirates 142 for 8 (Khurram 52, Mohammad Nadeem 3 for 13). Fortune Group 145 for 4 in 16.1 Overs (Kamran Shahzad 65 no, Amir Khan 2 for 28). Man of the match : Kamran Shahzad.

Dulsco Ramadan tournament: Emirates Islamic Bank beat Dry Docks World by four wickets. Emirates Islamic Bank 217 for 4 (Abdullah Mazhar 113, Azhar Gul 44 no, Faizan Asif 38). Dry Docks World 102 for 6 (Shehzad 47, Obaid 3 for 16). Man of the match: Abdullah Mazhar.

FedEx beat HSBC 'B' by four wickets. HSBC 'B' 134 for 9 (Shahzad 26, Sudhir 25, Harish 4 for 25) FedEx 137 for 6 in 18.2 overs (Hari 25, Deepak 23n.o, Sajith 2 for 22). Man of the match: Deepak Krishnamurthy.

Jotun Paints beat WADE Adams by 10 wickets. WADE Adams 76 in 18.5 overs ( Niranjan Naik 4 for 4 (including a hat-trick), Usman 2 for 8, Nihal 2 for 16). Jotun Paints 77 for no loss in 15 overs (Prabhu 45, Bilal 26). Man of the match: Niranjan Naik.