Silva aims for best tally with five wicket haul
Silva bags 5 for 40 to bowl out Gyan Steel for 142 runs after NMC had posted 280 for 8 in 50 overs
Sharjah: Left-arm spinner Shadeep Silva produced a deadly five-wicket spell to bowl New Medical Centre (NMC) to an emphatic 138-runs victory over Gyan Steel in the 37th Bukhatir League A division tournament at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Silva bagged 5 for 40 to bowl out Gyan Steel for 142 runs after NMC had posted 280 for 8 in 50 overs.
Speaking to Gulf News, Silva, who bagged UAE's best bowler of the year award, said: "Though I had bagged six wickets in last year's Bukhatir League semifinal and final, this five wickets has helped our team to be on course for a fifth consecutive title. We have now clinched a place in the semifinal to be held on May 16th and it will be great to help my team win the title for the fifth time."
Silva had bagged 16 wickets in the last Bukhatir league, considered as UAE most prestigious A division tournament. "I have already taken ten wickets from the league with only semifinal and final left, I hope to better my tally this year," he added.
NMC posted 280 for 8 mainly through Umer Qadeer's 65 runs off 73 balls with six fours and Atif Ijaz's 66 runs off 98 balls with four boundaries. Naveed Khadeem hit an unbeaten 40 while Mohammad Kashif remained unconquered on 41. Gayan Steel would have been shot out for even lesser total but for Bakhtiyar Palekar who hit a fighting 47.
In another match, Zaheer Baig cracked an unbeaten 103 off 138 balls with eight fours and two sixes to steer Al Hamad Contracting to a 131-run victory over Nucaf Tellicherry.
Summarised scores: NMC bt Gyan Steel CC by 138 runs: NMC 280 for 8 in 50 overs (Umer Qadeer 65, Atif Ijaz 66, Naveed Khadeem 40n.o, Mohammed Kashif 41n.o; Ali Asad 2-29, Naveed Abbas 2-56, Adeel Saifi 2-57) Gyan Steel CC 142 in 30.2 overs (Bakhtiyar Palekar 47, Javed Ahmed 23, Ali Asad 21; Shadeep Silva 5-40, Manjula Guruge 2-20, Saqib Ali 2-42). Man of the match Atif Ijaz.
Al Hamad Contracting CC bt Nucaf Telicherry by 131 runs: Al Hamad Contracting CC 303 for 7 in 50 overs (Zaheer Baig 103 not out, Kasim Butt 61, Ateequr Rehman 52, Asif Iqbal 32, Mohammed Azam 20; Zahhid Shah 3-29, Aman Shirazi 2-66) Nucaf Telicherry 172 for nine (Usman Khalid 49, Aman Sherazi 28 not out; Mohammed Adnan 3-37, Mohammed Tariq 2-45). Man of the match: Zaheer Baig.
