Dubai: A cricket tournament — the Nissan Gulf Cup — was staged in Dubai for budding cricketers to display their talents in various age categories. The event was organised by the Young Talents Cricket Academy (YTCA) for players in the age groups ranging from Under-nine to Under-15.
Speaking to Gulf News, Shahzad Altaf, former UAE player and head coach of the YTCA, said: "It is important for young cricketers to get the feel of a tournament and hence we decided to organise this six-a-side tournament. It brought out the fighting spirit in everyone."
The YTCA beat Desert Cubs Cricket Academy by 23 runs to lift the Under-12 title through a fine performance from Fahd Haq Nawaz. He took three wickets for 17 runs and restricted Desert Cubs to 52 runs after his team had posted 76 runs in the allotted six overs.
In the Under-nine and Under-11 events, Delhi Private School-YTCA team won the titles.
The YTCA also organised a Nissan Gulf Cup indoor cricket tournament at the India Club Indoor stadium. In the final, Petromann team emerged as the champions beating India Club B team by 121 runs.
In Dubai, Seven Seas Strikers defeated Spartans C.C. and Yogi Group beat Golden Line to reach the finals of the first Al Barakah Cup. Seven Seas Strikers crushed Spartans C.C. by 145 runs while Yogi Group beat Golden Line by 4 wickets.
In Umm Al Quwain, two centuries and one five-wicket haul were the highlights of the first Commercial Bank International Twenty20 league. The centurions were Mahboob Butt of Malkai who hit 135 runs in 51 balls and Safdar Ali of Brothersgas Cricket Club who scored 185 from 83 deliveries. T. Shiraj of Arabian Cricket Club produced the five-wicket haul, including a hat-trick for 15 runs, against Brothersgas Club.
