Ajman T20 Cup 2022: Day 6- Round-up

Day 6 (March 18) of the ongoing Ajman T20 Cup 2022 saw two entirely contrasting games on display.  While Maratha Arabians walked away with a narrow one-run win in a thriller against Deccan Gladiators, Delhi Bulls dominated Ajman Heroes and recorded an emphatic 54-run triumph. The Gladiators, Northern Warriors and Ajman Heroes have now lost three of their first four games. Hence, they have a lot of work to do.

Speaking on the first game, the edge of seat thriller began with Deccan Gladiators – MGM winning the toss and electing to bowl. Maratha Arabians’ top order couldn’t do much as they lost wickets at regular intervals with the scoring rate being on the lower side as well. Shahnawaz Khan joined Tanveer Junaid, and at the halfway mark when Maratha Arabians were 59 for 3.

This pair took the score to 91 when Shahnawaz Khan swept Ahmad Shafiq into the hands of Mohammad Kaleem for 14. Zeeshan Abid provided good support to Tanveer who looked set to reach his half century. Unfortunately for the Arabians, he perished for 47. With the score reading 117 for 5 and two more overs to go, Zeeshan Abid (16*) and Omer Farooq (18*) took the score to 145 for 5 in 20 overs.

Omer Farooq delivered a match-winning spell

Chasing 146, Deccan Gladiators were restricted to 144 for 5 despite Hameed Khan’s breezy 71 runs off 43 balls and skipper Adeel Malik’s unbeaten 21 off just 10 balls that almost pulled his team to victory. The hero of the match was Omer Farooq, who not only held his nerves and bowled the last over but also took three wickets for 38 runs. Omar had also chipped in with an unbeaten 18 runs.

As far as the second game is concerned, Delhi Bulls won the toss and elected to bat. Both openers were back in the hut inside three overs as the Bulls found themselves in a spot of bother. However, number three batter Abdul Shakoor put up a batting exhibition and played some delightful shots all over the park. While he slammed 64 off 45 deliveries, the late impetus were provided by Zahid Ali, who scored an unbeaten 23 off nine deliveries.

As a result, the Bulls posted 161/9 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Ajman Heroes lost wickets at regular intervals and never really looked in the hunt. While opener and skipper Adnan Ul Mulk Nawab did score a fighting 24 off 23 deliveries, he didn’t get much support from the other end. With three wickets, Sultan Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers for Bulls as the Heroes were bundled out for 107, losing the contest by 54 runs.

Brief scores:

Maratha Arabians vs Deccan Gladiators

Maratha Arabians – 145 for 5 in 20 overs (Jiju Janardhanan 28, Tanveer Junaid 47,  Ahmad Shafiq 2 for 23)

Deccan Gladiators –144 for 5 in 20 overs (Hameed Khan 71, Mohammad Kaleem 23, Adeel Malik 21n.o, Omer Farooq 3 for 38)

Delhi Bulls vs Ajman Heroes

Delhi Bulls – 161 for 9 in 20 overs (Abdul Shakoor 64, Zahid Ali 23*, Nasir Aziz 3/19)

Ajman Heroes – 107/10 in 10 overs (Adnan Ul Mulk Nawab 24, Sultan Ahmed 3/30, Zubair Zuhaib 2/11)