Just like the ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the line-ups for the knock-out stage of the Arabian Cricket League (ACL) at the ICC Academy have been decided.
Similar to the global event where India and New Zealand have so far swept all before them, there are also two unbeaten sides heading into the eliminators at the state-of-the-art venue at Dubai Sports City.
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Pool A champions Danube Lions, unbeaten with three wins from as many matches, will face Pool B runner-up Team Interface despite the latter’s loss in its final round-robin match against Grand Midwest.
And Grand Midwest, top of Pool B, will go up against the Alubond Tigers, which won its all-or-nothing clash with One Stop Tourism to determine which side would finish second in Pool A.
Bravo, #Danube #Lions on reaching #ArabianCricketLeague semis! Let your rivals fear your roar! #HomeofEliteCricket pic.twitter.com/NLWCEBBqW9
— ICC Academy (@ICCAcademy) March 13, 2015
Grand Midwest topped Pool B as, having earlier beaten Ibsons, it secured two more wins with two very impressive and composed chases.
Team Interface’s 171-7 looked very imposing, especially after a late surge that saw it score 72 from the final five overs of the innings thanks to Boota’s blazing 60 from 28 balls with seven fours and two sixes. Muhamed Wasim (3-20) was the pick of the Grand Midwest attack.
The Midwest boys made steady but unspectacular early progress towards the victory target and at halfway in the reply stood at 77-3, still requiring 95 at that stage.
But in the end Grand Midwest got home with something to spare thanks to an unbroken fourth wicket partnership of 100 between player of the match Mohib Ullah (63 from 36 balls, including six sixes and two fours) and Amjad Gul (32 from 22 deliveries).
There was a happy ending for Team Interface too, despite that loss, as Grand Midwest’s subsequent victory over Fly Emirates, the inaugural ACL champions, meant it went through to the last four, while Fly Emirates will be left to fight to avoid bottom spot in Pool B against Ibsons in the final pool match of the tournament.
The Alubond Tigers’ win over One Stop Tourism was not without the odd moment of alarm before victory was achieved.
The tournament, played under the floodlights of the ICC Academy’s outdoor ovals, involves eight Dubai Cricket Council ‘A’ Division teams divided into two pools with the top two in each pool reaching the semi-finals.
