SJAM pull off thrilling win against UAE Media

Abu Dhabi - The main culprit for the hosts was Extras (36), with the UAE Media bowlers struggling to control the ball in extreme humid conditions, after having won the toss and electing to bat first.

Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai (SJAM) got the UAExchange Media Ashes series off to a winning start after they beat UAE Media in the first of the three cricket Twenty20 matches. SJAM downed the hosts by four wickets in a thrilling last-over finish at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night.
SJAM captain and man of the match Sanjeev Samyal (41 from 37balls) shepherded his team well to chase down the target of 146 while a half-century by UAE Media opener AK Satish went in vain. He chipped in with the ball as well with a tidy spell of 4-0-16-2.
The main culprit for the hosts was Extras (36), with the UAE Media bowlers struggling to control the ball in extreme humid conditions, after having won the toss and electing to bat first.
Earlier, Satish carried his bat through to score 64 from 57 balls with able support at the end of the innings from Gopal Jasapara (26) and Jai Prasad Rai (13) after losing two early wickets.
The target was in threat immediately on the restart with the first four overs fetching 37 runs. The quick departure of both openers, Rahul Dixit and Satish Vishwanathan, then allowed the UAE Media to come back into the game.
Osman Samiuddin went for runs but also got two wickets. Meanwhile, AK Satish could not be kept down in his enthusiasm and came back onto the field even though he was cramping to bag two wickets.
At 104 from 15 overs, the match was evenly poised when Samyal, along with Sudhir Tripathi, kept the scoreboard ticking and despite the best efforts of Satish and Jaspara who conceded only 11 runs from his quota of four overs.
The match went down to the final over with seven runs needed. A dot ball and the fall of Samyal's wicket suddenly brought the pressure back on the visitors.
But the fourth ball was fired down the legside costing a boundary as well as the match for the hosts in an anti-climactic end.
The series is co-sponsored by Danube Home, Shyam Bhatia Cricket for Care, G-Force Academy, Red Bull, Almarai and Kera Thanina.