Ibsons top Bukhatir League with compelling show

The 38th edition of the Bukhatir League A division produced a new champion team on Wednesday. Ibsons trounced Eurocon Alubond in the final by a whopping 157 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium to lift the prestigious crown. Not many gave Ibsons a chance when they crashed to a shock defeat to Gyan Steel by nine wickets in their tournament opener. Their top players pulled up their socks and went for the kill in the remaining matches, starting off with a whopping 270-run win over EIDS and shocking star-studded teams like New Medical Centre and Fly Emirates. Ibsons carried their form into the final with Ibsons’ Zuhaib Akhtar and Kamran Shehzad producing spectacular bowling performances to destroy the strong Eurocon batting line-up. Akhtar picked five wickets for just 25 runs while Shehzad returned with a fine haul of four wickets for 45 runs as Eurocon, chasing 268 for victory, crashed to a paltry 110 runs in just 20.3 overs. Only Sami Allah (26) and Arif (23) offered any resistance as the Akhtar-Shehzad combine struck at regular intervals. Batting first, Ibsons posted a challenging 267 in 49 overs. Faizan Arif top scored with 88 runs off 58 balls which included two fours and 11 breath-taking sixes. Waseem Baig (57 off 88 balls with four fours) and Baber Malek (51 off 56 balls with six fours and two sixes) were the other scorers. Eurocon’s in-form player Mohammad Azam, who cracked 151 against Nucaf Tellicherry to steer his team into the final, sparkled with the ball this time round, picking up five wickets for 50 runs. Azam was backed by Naeem Allah who took three wickets for 46 runs. Their efforts went in vain though. The final was attended by Waleed Bukhatir, son of Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, who is an Emirates Cricket Board executive member. Brief scores: Ibsons CC bt Eurocon Alubond CC by 157 runs: Ibsons CC 267 in 48.3 overs (Faizan Asif 88, Waseem Baig 57, Baber Malek 51; Mohammad Azam 5 for 50, Naeem Allah 3 for 46, Vikrant Shetty 2 for 31) Eurocon Alubond CC 110 in 20.3 overs (Sami Allah 26, Arif 23; Zuhaib Akhtar 5 for 25, Kamran Shehzad 4 for 45). Man of the match: Zuhaib Akhtar. From/gulfnews