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Five from five for Gymkhana

ABU DHABI — William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana kept their stranglehold of the ADCC President’s Cup, winning the division-two title in all five years since its inception.

Having restricted Nissan Al Masaood to a modest 115 for nine, Abu Dhabi Gymkhana knocked off the winning runs with more than three overs to spare for the loss of four wickets, thanks to Asim Khurshid, who saw them through with an unbeaten half century at the Zayed stadium over the weekend.

Khurshid held the inning together with a top score of 54 not out after Inam Fareed had given the automobile dealers an early breakthrough by removing Arfan Haider (2), the UAE international, with the total on three.

Khurshid hit seven fours and set the platform with a 46-run stand for the second wicket with Saqib Shah (25), who struck five boundaries in his 22-ball knock.

Tahir Butt, the opening bowler, did the early damage by claiming two wickets to leave the automobile dealers at 26 for two.

Mohammed Rehan sent back Sajith Kumara (21) and Mohammed Nadeem struck twice and Al Masaood were left struggling at 87 for five.

Rehan returned for his second spell to finish with three for 15 from four overs to restrict Al Masaood to a modest 115 for nine.

It was Abu Dhabi Gymkhana’s second title in three tournaments for the season in competitions conducted by the Abu Dhabi Cricket Council. They also avenged for the one they lost to Al Masaood, the curtain raiser Ramadan floodlit Twenty20 Cup.

“We have built a strong squad and this is reflected with the success we have had in recent years,” said Zayed Mustafa, the captain of one of the oldest serving clubs in the capital city. The team also boasts of four UAE internationals Haider, Shah, Tahir Butt and Owais Aftab. They won five titles last year including the Al Dhaid Gold Cup, a 40-over-a-side competition in Al Dhaid.