NEW DELHI: UAE emerged victorious by simply two runs in a nail-biting contest towards Kuwait to assert their maiden ILT20 Gulf Cricket Championship title on the Dubai Worldwide Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
The intently contested ultimate stored the followers on edge till the final over as UAE defended 153 towards a spirited Kuwait aspect.
Opting to bat first, UAE started cautiously as openers Muhammad Waseem and Tanish Suri struggled to search out momentum. Waseem fell early for 1, however Alishan Sharafu’s 28 off 17 balls, laced with three 4s and two 6s, offered the much-needed impetus.
Contributions from Tanish Suri (34 off 32) and Rahul Chopra (28 off 17) steadied the innings because the run charge steadily climbed.
Nevertheless, Kuwait’s bowlers struck again at essential moments. Yasin Patel and Sayed Monib had been the standouts, claiming three wickets apiece, supported by Meet Bhavsar’s economical spell of two/16.
In response, Kuwait endured an early collapse, dropping two wickets throughout the opening two overs, courtesy of Junaid Siddique (1/42) and Dhruv Parashar (1/26).
Bhavsar, the one hope for Kuwait within the decisive hours, steadied the innings with a valiant 72 off 54, together with six 4s and three 6s.
Regardless of dropping companions repeatedly, Bhavsar, together with Yasin Patel (15 not out off 8), introduced Kuwait tantalisingly shut with a flurry of boundaries.
Patel’s massive hits off consecutive deliveries within the penultimate over diminished the equation to eight runs off the ultimate over.
The final over, bowled by Muhammad Jawadullah, was a spectacle of cricketing drama.
A large ball adopted by a boundary from Bhavsar set Kuwait inside placing distance. Nevertheless, Jawadullah stored his composure, dismissing Bhavsar because the batter fell for a slower supply and ended up giving freely a simple catch to Nilansh Keswani.
With three runs wanted from 4 balls, Jawadullah bowled Mohamed Shafeeq off his very first supply, sealing UAE’s historic two-run victory.
Whereas Meet Bhavsar’s heroic knock earned widespread admiration, he couldn’t take Kuwait over the road when it mattered probably the most. Then again, Jawadullah (2/28) was instrumental in a nerve-wracking ultimate sequence.
The victory thus not solely topped UAE champions but in addition left their rising prominence within the Gulf cricketing area, capping a event full of pleasure and high-quality cricket.
