Oman Cricket: Enhance upset defending champions Assarain

Sports Saturday 06/January/2018 17:03 PM
By: Times News Service
Oman Cricket: Enhance upset defending champions Assarain

Muscat: Enhance rode on vital contributions by Ahmed Fayyaz Butt, Khawar Ali, Sanuth Mohammed Ebrahim and Mehran Khan to humble defending champion Assarain by three wickets in a Muscat Pharmacy-sponsored Premier Division clash at the Ministry of Sports Affais Ground in Al Amerat on Friday.
Enhance won the toss and opted to bowl first, making early inroads into Assarain’s strong top order. Paceman Butt dismissed both openers before they could even open their account. With Assarain reeling at 45 for four in the 13th over, a solid 109-run fifth-wicket partnership between Shahan Akram (70 off 117) and Muhammed Nadeem (74 off 103) put the team on the path to a fighting total to defend. However, after their fall no other batsman stayed on to build on their effort and Assarain was finally bundled out for 198 in the 48th over.
Butt led the bowling honours, taking three wickets while Wasim Ali, Sanuth and Khawar all bagged two wickets each.
Sensing victory, Enhance chose the slow and steady way to go about chasing down the total and succeeded in its strategy, scoring 200 for seven with 17 balls to spare.
Sanuth (47 off 87), Khawar (43 off 45), Mehran Khan (43 off 49) and Khurram Khan (21 off 28) were the main scorers. Pacer Kaleemullah claimed three wickets for Assarain.
Brief scores: Assarain 198 all out in 47.5 overs (Muhammed Nadeem 74, Shahan Akram 70; Ahmed Fayyaz Butt 3/28, Sanuth Mohammed Ebrahim 2/26, Wasim Ali 2/29, Khawar Ali 2/41) lost to Enhance 200 for 7 in 47.1 overs (Sanuth Ebrahim 47, Khawar Ali 43, Mehran Khan 43, Khurram Khan 21; Kaleemullah 3/34).