Dubai: Akbar Rana, one of the better known cricketers on the UAE cricket scene in the nineties, turned the clock back with his allround brilliance in Dubai Cricket Council’s (DCC) Big Forty cricket tournament to help Alubond Cool & Cool emerge as champions at the Sevens ground.
Rana, now a coach, bagged three wickets to restrict DCC 40’s Club to 151 runs in 24.1 overs. He then scored 29 runs with Qader Khan topscoring for them with 39 runs as Alubond won the final by five wickets in 23.5 overs.
Alubond played brilliantly throughout this tournament. In an earlier round match too, Alubond had defeated DCC by six wickets. DCC’s former Kerala Ranji Trophy allrounder Usman Kutty had topscored with 39 runs. Shiva Pagarani too had sparkled for DCC with two wickets and an unbeaten 14 runs.
Alubond’s star performer was Mohammad Ajmal with an unbeaten 43 while Shaji-Ul Mulk chipped in with 22 runs. Alubond also had defeated Dubai Mammoths by four wickets on way to the final. In this match, Akbar Rana cracked an unbeaten 77.
In the ongoing third Superstars T20 tournament being played at the Sevens Stadium, the all-Emirati team known as United Reale Group Emirati Warriors tasted victory with a thumping 124-run win over Bassalis Jahnian Tigers from Pakistan in a Group B match.
Emirati Warriors posted 193 for six in 20 overs through Iqbal Khan’s 87, Abdul Shakoor 37 runs and UAE skipper Mohammad Tauqir’s 22 runs. Jahnian Tigers were restricted to 69 for 8 with Qasim Zubair, Waseem Bari and Ahmed Raza taking two wickets each.
The GMW Sharjah Royal team is on a strong run as they recorded their third straight win in Group B after posting a thrilling two-run win over Al Faraa Al Ain Super Kings. GMW posted 160 for eight through Shahzeeb Hassan’s 49 runs and Owais Shah’s 47. Al Faraa chased brilliantly through Naveed Sarwar’s unbeaten 62 but fell short of the target.
