Two more teams booked their place in the quarter-final as the sixth round of the ADIB Staff Cricket Cup was successfully concluded.
The novel tournament, which offers a lucrative sum of AED 15,000 to the winners, has witnessed some exciting tussles between the 30 participating teams over the course of the last month. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the two host cities for the tournament and it was the turn of the former to take centre-stage in the latest round of encounters.
The five teams in Pool Six were in action at the Abu Dhabi Cricket Club, with DTS XI and Trail Blazers emerging as the two sides to advance to the knock-out stages.
The two sides had established the early ascendancy in the group in the opening weekend of the tournament by winning both of their respective clashes on the day.
In the early Pool Six clash on Friday, a sensational bowling display saw the Trail Blazers continue their unbeaten streak. They first restricted MPM Warriors to a measly 36-7 before chasing down the target with the loss of a solitary wicket.
In another clash, Leap Chargers inflicted a 20-run defeat on Counter Strike XI after racking up a total of 110-5 in their 10 overs. Unfortunately for the Leap Chargers, they were unable to sustain their winning momentum with DTS XI proving too good for them in the subsequent clash.
They did well to score a competitive 87-7 in their 10 overs, but it wasn’t enough to stop DTS XI who romped to victory with four wickets to spare.
Having lost each of their three previous clashes, Counter Strike XI ended their campaign on a high by beating MPM Warriors in emphatic fashion. Chasing a target of 90, Counter Strike XI’s openers put up a commanding and unbeaten stand to give their side a maiden victory.
The final clash of the day saw the two unbeaten teams in the group – DTS XI and Trail Blazers – square up in a top-of-the-table clash. It was DTS XI who prevailed ultimately to make it four victories out of four in Pool Six. Having posted 113-5 after batting first, DTS XI’s bowlers were in fine form as they restricted Trail Blazers to 87-6.
Despite the loss, a net run-rate of +2.580 ensured that the Trail Blazers joined DTS XI in the last-eight. They are the fifth and sixth respectively to qualify for the quarter-final, where they will be joined by ADIMAC Tigers, Card United Eleven, DSU Daredevils and Group Risk.
The two vacant quarter-final berths will be decided on March 13 when Pools Five and Seven complete their group-stage engagements at the Abu Dhabi Cricket Club.
