Abu Dhabi: Nasser Aziz celebrated his call-up to the UAE national team squad ahead of the 2015 World Cup by producing a match-winning performance for Alubond Tigers in the Onashi Trading Pan Global Development Ramadan Twenty20 Cup final at Shaikh Zayed Cricket stadium.
The all-rounder stroked 44 and then took four for 20 with his off-breaks as the Tigers beat Wings by 37 runs.
Aziz and Irfan Ahmad (33) put on 69 runs for the first wicket after the Tigers elected to bat first. And a couple of cameo knocks from Pakistan international Hassan Raza and Zeeshan Bangesh propelled their score to a challenging 188 for five.
Raza slammed 38 not out from 15 balls with five fours and a six and Bangesh hit an unbeaten 30 off 19 balls with two sixes and a four. The duo shared a valuable unbroken 68-run stand for the sixth wicket.
Shahzaib Hassan, another Pakistan international, was on fire in the chase as he blasted a 24-ball 73, but he didn’t get much support from the rest of the Wings batsmen.
Shahzaib smashed 11 fours and four sixes and dominated a 61-run opening stand with Ashfaq Ahmad (8) before wickets started to fall at regular intervals.
Naveed Salem broke the opening stand before Aziz struck, taking four of the next five wickets to fall to a bowler, including the prized wicket of Shahzaib.
