Dubai: UAE’s left arm spinner Ahmad Raza bagged eight wickets from two consecutive matches to add another feather to his consistent performance in domestic cricket this season.
Raza bagged four wickets for three runs to spin United Bank Limited (UBL) a nine-wicket win over Emirates NBD Bank and followed it up in the next match with another four wicket spell for 14 runs against Radio 4 to steer his team to an emphatic 124-run win. Both spells came at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the Aseel Islamic Finance 26th Sharjah Ramadan Cup Twenty20 tournament organised by Sharjah Cricket Council.
Speaking to Gulf News after his two successive four-wicket hauls, Raza said: “The wicket at Sharjah for both the matches was a turner and I utilised it well. Through tips from UAE coach Aquib Javed, I have learned to utilise such kind of wickets to wreck teams.”
Raza’s four wickets for just three runs resulted in Emirates NBD Bank being bowled out for 41 in 12.2 overs while his four wickets for 14 bowled out Radio 4 for 75 runs in 15 overs.
“Most of my wickets were leg before or caught behind as I bowl stumps to stumps. This has been my forte even in international matches. In the Bukhatir League too, I took 12 wickets but my team got out in quarter finals. I want to better my performance in the Ramadan tournament. Giving away just three runs and taking four wickets is my best spell in domestic cricket,” he added.
In the match against Radio 4, Raza was well supported by Zaheer Maqsood, who took three wickets for 11 runs. Batting first, UBL had posted 199 for 6 through Mohammad Shakir’s unbeaten 57 runs off just 28 balls with three boundaries and three sixes. Amjad Ali swelled the total through a 34 off just 18 balls. In another match, Desert Club defeated Unicon by 26 runs through Atarva Kavi’s three wicket spell backed by Nelukshnan and Waron Perera’s spell of two wickets each. Unicon chasing Desert Cubs’ total of 112 were restricted to 87 for 9 in 20 overs.
