Ayaz claims eight for UBL in capital’s premier tournament
Excellent figures for potential future UAE national team member
Abu Dhabi: Mohammad Ayaz returned with a UAE career-best eight for 47 to script a resounding six-wicket win for the United Bank Limited over Abu Dhabi Airport Company in the Gulf Technical-Techaccess Cup.
The 29-year-old Pakistan-born left-arm medium-pacer, earmarked as a potential bowling prospect for the UAE national team in 10 months, returned with excellent figures of 9.4-0-47-8.
He took three wickets in his first spell and five in his second to dismiss ADAC for 203 in Abu Dhabi Cricket Council’s premier 50 overs-a-side tournament at the Zayed stadium.
Sadaqat Shah (62) and Mohammad Shahzad (41) were the only two batsmen to come out with knocks of any substance, after ADAC won the toss and elected to take first lease of the wicket in the day-night game.
The pair shared an 87-run partnership for the fourth wicket. With Shahzad’s departure seven wickets fell for 63 runs. UBL knocked off the winning runs with 16.3 overs to spare. They lost opener Amjad Ali (2) early but the rest of their batters chipped in with useful contributions to see them through comfortably.
Ibsons made short work of New Medical Centre. Harry Finch (77) and Shehzad Malik (33) took them through in 22.1 overs with an unfinished 103-run third wicket stand. Fayyaz Ahmad, the left-arm spinner, took four for 16, while his UAE teammate Kamran Shahzad and Misbah Khan grabbed six wickets between them to skittle out NMC for 126.
In another match, Awais Qureshi hit 48 and took four wickets to guide Abu Dhabi Gymkhana to an 18-run win over Etihad Airways.
Brief Scores: United Bank Limited bt Abu Dhabi Airport Company by six wickets. Abu Dhabi Airport Company 203 all out in 45.4 overs (Sadaqat Shah 62, Mohammad Shahzad 41, Mohammad Ayaz 8-47) United Bank Limited 208 for four in 33.3 overs (Dawood Ijaz 59 not out, Syed Maqsood 40, Mohammad Shakir 32 not out, Babar Hussain 30, Majid Aslam 2-33).
Ibsons bt New Medical Centre by 8 wkts. Ibsons 127 for 2 in 22.1 overs (Harry Finch 71 not out, Shehzad Malik 33 not out) New Medical Centre 126 all out in 25 overs (Fayyaz Ahmad 4-16, Misbah Khan 3-29, Kamran Shehzad 3-32).
Abu Dhabi Gymkhana bt Etihad Airways by 18 runs. Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 251 for 9in 50 overs (Awais Qureshi 48, Haroon Iftikhar 46, Sajjad Saeed 45, Faisal Butt 35, Sohail Khan 3-66, Tariq Afridi 2-33) Etihad Airways 233 for 8 in 50 overs (Sreekanth Bhavadasan 57, Dharshana Pieris 46, Ahmad Nadeem 33, Mohammad Riyan 30, Awais Qureshi 4-49, Naqash Basharat 3-37).
