Oman Cricket: Wasim Abdul Karim’s all-round show helps Al Mada down EY in thriller

Muscat: All-rounder Wasim Abdul Karim steered Al Mada Engineering to a thrilling four-run win against Ernst & Young (EY) in a 30-over B Division match of Oman Cricket League at Municipality Ground II on Friday.
Playing a sterling knock of 93 off just 49 balls, Wasim was solely responsible for Al Mada reaching a fighting total of 169 before all out in 23 overs. His knock included 13 fours Oman Cricket: Wasim Abdul Karim’s all-round show helps Al Mada down EY in thrillerand three sixes. Opener Ashok Patel batted well too for his 34.
Vishak Jayakumar bowled brilliantly to claim three wickets for just 16 runs in his quota of four overs. Salman Khan took three wickets for 24.
Ernst &Young’s dismal start to the season continued with another loss, though this time they fought well before falling short by just four runs. Omar Sarfaraz was once again the leading scorer with a fluent 72 of 65 balls including seven fours and two sixes.
After his fall, Al Mada wrapped up the game quickly, bowling EY out for 165 in 29.3 overs. Wasim Abdul Karim, Deepak Bhandari, Mohammed Shahil and NishantMenon all bagged two wickets apiece.
Brief scores: Al Mada Engineering 169 all out in 23 overs (Wasim Abdul Karim 93, Ashok Patel 34; Vishak Jayakumar 3/16, Salman Khan 3/24) bt Ernst & Young 164 all out in 29.3 overs (Omar Sarfaraz 72; Nishat Menon 2/8, Deepak Bhandari 2/13, Mohammed Shahil 2/23, Wasim Abdul Karim 2/31).
Usman stars for Waves Engineering
Waves Engineering made short work of a respectable Zubair CT total of 162 thanks to a 105-run opening partnership between openers Usman Asghar (60) and Kamaljot Singh (42) in a T20 D Division match at Municipality Ground I on Friday.
Batting first, Zubair CT compiled a fighting 162 for seven in 20 overs with opener Adnan Mehboob scoring a superb 82 off 60 balls with the help of eight fours and a six. Captain Mohsin Abbas scored a fluent 38 while Sunil Kumar chipped in with 26 off 17 balls. Muhammed Muslim was the main wicket-taker with bowling figures of three for 31. Usman Asghar claimed two for 24.
It took Waves Engineering only 14.2 overs to overhaul the target, losing only four wickets in the process. Usman and Kamaljot made batting look easy, hitting boundaries at will. Muhammed Umar finished the game with a cameo of 29 off just nine balls, hitting four fours and a big six. Iqbal Mudassar bagged three wickets but gave away a whopping 46 runs in 3.2 overs.
Zubair CT was guilty of conceding 19 extras, including 15 wides and two no-balls.
Brief scores: Zubair CT 162 for 7 in 20 overs (Adnan Mehboob 82, Mohsin Abbas 38, Sunil Kumar 26; Muhammed Muslim 3/31, Usman Asghar 2/24) lost to Waves Engineering 165 for 4 in 14.2 overs (Usman Asghar 60, Kamaljot Singh 42, Muhammed Umar 29; Iqbal Mudassar 3/46).
NBO edge Bank Muscat
A match-winning 115-run fifth-wicket partnership between Arfan Ali Syed and Mustansar Hussain paved the way for NBO’s thrilling win over Bank Muscat in a 20-over E Division game at Municipality Ground III.
After bowling Bank Muscat out for 149 in 20 overs, NBO were in serious trouble at 15 for four before Arfan Ali and Mustansar steadied the ship and setting up a last-over victory for their side, which lost only six wickets in the process. Arfan was the more dominant scorer with 60 off 49 balls while Mustansar retired out at 49 off 42 balls. Nishanth took three wickets for 28 runs.
Bank Muscat paid a heavy price for some wayward bowling, conceding a massive 30 extras, including 22 wides and three no-balls.
Earlier, batting first after winning the toss, Bank Muscat could manage only 149 in the stipulated 20 overs. Only ZeeshanTufail (29 off 19) and Osman Al Zadjali (28 of 26) were able to offer some resistance against an attacking NBO outfit.
Moazzam Shah claimed three wickets for 19 runs. He was ably supported by Mustansar Hussain and Manas Kapoor, who claimed two wickets each.
Brief scores: Bank Muscat 149 all out in 20 overs (ZeeshanTufail 29, Osman Al Zadjali 28; Moazzam Shah 3/19, Mustansar Hussain 2/30, Manas Kapoor 2/19) lost to NBO 152 for 6 in 19.5 overs (Arfan Ali Syed 65, Mustansar Hussain 49; Nishanth 3/28).
Issa inspires Ahli Bank
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In another battle of banks, Ahli Bank defeated NBO Al Muzn in a high-scoring F Division clash, thanks to a swashbuckling 25-ball 75 by young Omani opener Issa Al Balushi at Municipality Ground IV.
Known for his hard-hitting batting and excellent fielding, Issa was involved in a match-winning 128-run partnership with his opening partner Syed Imran who scored an impressive 60 off 31 balls. Ahli Bank were chasing a massive 209 and got past the target with five balls to spare and five wickets in hand. Imran Kasmani claimed three wickets for 28 runs.
Earlier, batting first after winning the toss, NBO Al Muzn were able to pile up a huge total with the help of a 128-run third-wicket partnership between opener Rohit Gupta (59 off 44) and Ismail Rahim Al Balushi (72 off 48). Saif Khan chipped in with a nine-ball cameo of 26. Syed Imran bagged two wickets for 30 runs while Asad Azeem took one wicket.
NBO total was also greatly helped by a whopping 34 extras, including 19 wides and two no-balls by Ahli Bank bowlers.
Brief scores: NBO Al Muzn 209 for 5 in 20 overs (Ismail Rahim Al Balushi 72, Rohit Gupta 59, Saif Khan 26; Syed Imran 2/30) lost to Ahli Bank 210 for 7 in 19.1 overs (Issa Al Balushi 75, Syed Imran 60; Imran Kasmani 3/28).