In the eighth game of the Emirates D20 League, two heavyweights Abu Dhabi and Emirates Blues locked horns with each. Emirates Blue had won both their games before this match with Abu Dhabi losing and winning one each.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the lower-ranked team in Abu Dhabi defeated Emirates Blues by eight wickets. Emirates Blues won the toss and chose to bat first. Their openers in Fahad Nawaz and Aryan Lakra were not able to give a good start as the first wicket fell very soon. Playing against Zia Mukhtar, Lakra handed an easy catch to E D’souza in the second over itself. The captain Alishan Sharafu then walked in. With Nawaz, he made a good partnership and took the team to a score of 66 before the next wicket fell.
Other batters to make a significant contribution to the score were Sanchit Sharma (15) and Mohammed Faraazuddin (20). Emirates Blues captain Sharaful, however, was their highest scorer with 65 runs in just 36 balls. He hit seven boundaries and two sixes on the way to his half-century. Muhammad Uzair Khan with figures of 4-31-3 and Zia Mukhtar with 2.4-18-3 were the best bowlers from the Abu Dhabi sides.
Coming on to chase a big total, the Abu Dhabi team never looked uncertain at any point in time. The opening batters Ghulam Farid and Atta Ur Rahim were up to the task and made an impressive 22 and 37 respectively. Their first wicket fell at 44 which allowed the wicket-keeper Kamran Atta to come. With Ali Abid, the wicketkeeper took Abu Dhabi home in an emphatic fashion. The Abu Dhabi wicket keeper top-scored with 58* on 28 balls, with Ali Abid also contributing a 35* to the run chase.
With this win, Abu Dhabi climbed to the third position after getting two points. Emirates Blues with the same number of points remain at second as their NRR is better than the former.
Emirates Blues: 149/10
Alishan Sharafu: 65(36), Mohammed Faraazuddin: 15(16)
Adithya Shetty: 2-11-1, Nilansh Keswani: 3-23-1
Abu Dhabi: 155/2
Kamran Atta: 58(28), Atta Ur Rahim: 37(32)
Zia Mukhtar: 2.4-18-3, Muhammad Uzair Khan: 4-31-3
