Alubond Tigers pulled off a thrilling three-wicket victory over Unicon Real Estate in the 6th Al Dhaid Ramadan tournament.
Played at Al Dhaid Cricket Village in Sharjah, Unicon Real Estate posted 155 for the loss of six wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
The Tigers’ chase got off to a shaky start losing three early wickets but former Pakistan batsman Hasan Raza (49) and Sultan Ahmed (16) saw the team reach the target with two balls to spare.
Electing to bat first, Unicon Real Estate’s Shakoor provided the perfect start, scoring a 28-ball 40 (three sixes and one four).
His team-mate Naveed scored a rapid 36 off 27 runs, an innings that included three boundaries.
Unicon Real Estates continued to pile on the runs, and their tally was boosted thanks to Zeeshan.
His blistering 46-run effort came off 18 balls and featured three fours, and five sixes.
Sheraz Ahmed was the pick of the Tigers' bowlers, finishing with figures of 3 for 14, while Nasir Aziz and Zakir Malik took one wicket each.
For what was a challenging total, Alubond Tigers made a bad start with the top-order batsmen making early exits.
With the scoreboard at 22 for 3, the responsibility fell to experienced batsman Raza and Sameen.
The duo looked strong at the crease, scoring crucial runs that edged the team closer to the target.
The pair put on a 59-run partnership and looked like they would see the team to victory, but Unicon Real Estate dismissed the two batsmen in quick succession.
Raza, who has played 13 internationals for Pakistan, was unlucky to miss out on a well deserved half-century when he fell for 49 (six fours). And Sameen soon followed when 23.
In a nail-biting finish, Sultan Ahmed held his nerve to hit a 16- ball 24 (two fours and one six) as Alubond Tigers reached their target in 19.4 overs.
For Unicon Real Estate, Jamshad, Nasir and Maaz all shared two wickets each.
