Multiplex ended their streak of losing two finals by clinching the Pan Global Group Ramadan Twenty20 Cup in Abu Dhabi with a four-wic-ket win over defending champions Alubond Tigers.
Multiplex arrived at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Thursday night having finished runners-up in the Ramadan tournaments in Ajman and Dubai, but they didn’t let the title slip away for the third time.
The Multiplex bowlers, backed by some excellent ground fielding, did well to restrict Alubond to 117-7.
Their batsmen then knocked off the winning runs with four balls to spare to walk away with the Dh30,000 winner’s cheque and the first cup triumph in the capital.
Openers Ali Zeeshan (30) and Sapandeep Singh (26) gave them a solid start by adding 49 in six overs.
Multiplex wobbled a bit once the partnership was broken before the seventh-wicket pair Zeeshan Khan (25 not out) and Abdulla Haq (14 not out) saw them over the line.
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“The players got a bit nervous on the big stage when playing in the two previous finals but held their nerves to execute the game-plan well to win,” said Multiplex coach Irfan Ansari.
“The bowlers did a great job by bowling in the right areas to restrict a strong batting line-up to a total our batsmen could chase. At the end, it was an excellent team
effort with everyone chipping in with their contributions to win.”
Alubond, having elected to bat first, lost their top three batsmen for 24 in five overs before ex-Pak-istan international Hasan Raza steadied their innings with a 48-ball 36, but the rest struggled.
New-ball bowler Zubair Khan took three for 29 from four overs but it was the first change Qadeer Ahmed who bowled best to return with excellent figures of 4-1-8-1.
