ECB Blues team comes of age

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) Blues team emerged as champions of the Bukhatir A division league, one of the oldest and most prestigious domestic cricket tournaments in the UAE, last week.

They defeated Effects Tellicherry by a margin of 104 runs in the final of the 28th edition of this tournament and overcoming some of the finest teams in local cricket. The ECB Blues have proved they have the potential for greater exploits in future.

The stars of the final game were skipper Saeed Al Saffar and Ahmed Nadeem. Al Saffar, the former UAE skipper, cracked a superb 66 just off 60 balls with six boundaries and two sixes, while Nadeem picked up 5 for 32 off 10 overs.

Al Saffar stated: "We played as a team and everybody contributed well for the victory. Nadeem bowled exceedingly well in the final as well as the semifinals. Miraj Khaliq also batted well in the earlier matches. Our team has come a long way from where we started and now we are jelling together as a good team."

On the performance of the team he said: "The players are improving with every match. Most of the ECB Blues team players were in the ECB team which played against the Sri Lankan team recently, in a friendly match. By giving a good fight to the Lankans we have shown that our players are capable of playing at the highest level. It will be great if the UAE is granted One-day status soon. It will be a big boost for the players."

Admiring the untiring efforts of the coaches, he said: "Most of our players have greatly benefited from the coaches. Abid Ali, the present coach is very understanding as well as patient. He has worked wonders with us. Moreover, we have also benefited a lot from our earlier coaches like Naveed Anjum too. For us it has been a learning process. The regular practice at the Sharjah Stadium too is helping us immensely."

Talking about his own captaincy, he said: "From the personal point of view, this victory has been a big boost. Though I have been successful as a captain at the international level, I have been criticised for not doing well in domestic tournaments, especially against home teams. One of my greatest desires has been to lift up the Bukhatir league. All the credit goes to my team mates and we hope to perform consistently in the coming years too."

Ahmed Nadeem, who sparkled with the ball through deadly spells said: "It was great to perform well in the final of UAE's biggest tournament. All of us were really pumped up to perform in the final. I am happy to contribute towards the victory and our team really is shaping up into a good unit. We took all the catches and it is a memorable first triumph."

Talking about his spell in the final, Nadeem who played in England for three seasons, said: "It was one of my finest spells in the UAE, especially in this situation. It has added to my confidence for the coming international tournaments.

"I congratulate captain Al Saffar and our coach Abid Ali for helping the team achieve one of the greatest honours. This victory is a fine warm up for the players and it will help all to give their best in the coming ACC Trophy and other international tournaments."