JEDDAH — Ace Travel handed MCH Premier its first defeat, a 28-run thrashing, in Qualifier 1 of the CIT SPL T20 organized by Jeddah Cricket Association (JCA).
The exciting T20 tournament is sponsored by Canadian International Trading and co-sponsored by Initial Services, Ace Travel & Tours, Hyderabad Sharks, Maui Jim Sunglasses, Pepsi, Mizo Juices, Khind Electronic and Bison.
MCH Premier had by then not lost a single match since Sept 2015 when it played its first match in JCA. MCH Premier will now meet its sister team Hala International School, which comfortably beat Pak Shaheen in the Eliminator match by 7 wickets.
The matches were attended by sponsors’ representatives Deepak Kalia, CIT’s head of Western Region Accounts, Initial Services Group’s Eng. Mohammed Afzal and Eng. Mohammed Zia and Mir Mohammed Ali from Maui Jim. Also present were Ramnarayan Iyer, executive editor of Saudi Gazette, Mirza Qudrath Nawaz, A.A. Merchant, Aamir Ghaffar Siddiquei, Haroon Abdullah, Shaheer and Syed Abdul Rafay.
Ace Travel beat MCH Premier by 28 runs. Ace Travel, batting first, was off to a bad start as it lost Abdul Wahid, Waqas and Mouzzam early as Adnan bowled a fiery spell reducing it to 36 for 3. Thereafter Sami (43) and Bilal put on solid 87 runs. Adnan (37 not out) joined Bilal (75) for a 53-run partnership to enable Ace Travel post a fighting score of 206 for 6 in 20 overs. Adnan ended with 3-26 and was the only bowler to dent the top Ace batting lineup with Khurram and Osman picking up a wicket each.
In reply, MCH Premier started the run chase efficiently but then lost the wickets of Shabaz (20), Kashif (30) to be reduced to 66 for 3 in 7 overs. It was then left to Babar Hussain (71 off 50 balls), who along with Naeem (31) put on 96. Naeem and Babar were run out in quick succession. Then the departure of Abu Huraira saw the curtains come down for MCH Premier as its innings folded at 178-7. Sami Khan (2-39) and Iftikhar (2-27) bowled with fire for Ace and were well supported by some smart work in the field. Man of Match - Sami Khan. Maximum Sixes - Bilal (4). Best Fielder - Iftikhar.
In the Eliminator tie, Hala International School trounced Pak Shaheen by 7 wickets. Pak Shaheen started briskly with Faisal Khan making 42 off 22 balls and Shaan Malik 38 off 26 balls, putting on 97 in 7 overs. Thereafter, some good bowling by Imran, Jawad, Abrar and Rafaqat, who picked up 2 wickets each, bowled out Pak Shaheen for 176.
Hala International School, in reply, reached the target (177-3) in 15.5 overs. Openers Shahjahan Rajpoot (84 not out off 39 balls) and Amir Siddique (61 off 31 balls) gave it a solid start of 133 runs. Although Amir was dismissed and two more wickets fell quickly, Shahjahan remained unbeaten with Rafaqat (18 not out) to see his side seal the win. Man of the Match and Maximum Sixes (8) - Shahjahan Rajpoot. Best Fielder - Shahzad.
