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Ghouri and Zadran give new Wings massive lift

New Karachi import Ishtiaq Ghouri and Dawlat Zadran, Afghanistan’s fast medium pacer, powered Wings Group to a close 22-run win over Nucaf Tellicherry in the Blenheim Champions Trophy for A Division teams.

The championship is sponsored by Blenheim Energy and conducted by the Dubai Cricket Council at 7he Sevens cricket grounds.

In a clash of two strong teams in the tournament, newly formed Wings Group which is bolstered by the inclusion of four Afghanistan cricketers, had to fight tooth and nail in a tough game against the recent Mobil Cup champions Nucaf Tellicherry to edge past them in an important game in this tournament, a media release stated.

Playing in their first game, Wings Group built on small partnerships from Gulbuddin Naib 23, and Ashfaq Ahmed 20, but both were brilliantly run-out by Nashwan Nasir and Sajjad Ali to peg back Wings Group.

However Ghouri who has recently played first class cricket in Karachi, played a very mature knock while the rest of the batting revolved around him. He scored a superb unbeaten 95 runs until the overs ran out hitting seven fours in his 115 balls knock.

Local lad and UAE player Amjad Ali was the other batsman to shine with a knock of 73 runs in 78 balls in which he slammed seven boundaries while Samiullah Shenwari Afghanistn’s leg-spinner contributed 19 runs to take Wings group to a good score of 279 runs.

Ali was the pick of Nucaf bowlers picking up three wickets for 52 runs.

Zadran who has had a very successful outing in the ICC T20 tournament for Afghanistan and was instrumental in their qualification to the T20 World Cup bowled a hostile spell to intimidate the Nucaf lads and at one stage Nucaf lost three wickets at the same score of 21 runs to stutter at 21 for 3 wickets.

Gulbuddin picked up opener Naeemuddin Aslam while Dawlat accounted for Prajakat Chauhan, Kashif Ahmed and later picked up Krishna Chandra who made 19 runs to have the opposition on the rack at 54 for 4 wickets.

Syed Maqsood then played a responsible knock and along with Ali brought Tellicherry back into the game with a 72-run partnership for the fifth wicket when Sajjad was leg before to Nasir Aziz for a fine knock of 43 runs containing seven fours. Maqsood carried on doggedly with the lower order which found the pace of Zadran too much to handle as he picked up two more wicket.

Maqsood finally was stumped of the bowling of Mohammed Nabi after playing a stead fast knock of 63 runs encompassing 112 balls with four boundaries.

Zadran was the architect of Wings successful debut in the tournament as he finished with a 5-55 haul to see his team safely home.

sports@khaleejtimes.com

Brief scores

• Wings XI beat Nucaf Tellicherry by 22 runs Wings XI 279 for 7 in 50 overs (Ishitiaq Ghouri 95no, Amjad Ali 73, Gulbodin Naib 23, Sajjad Ali 3 for 52). Nucaf Tellicherry 257 for allout in 48.5 overs (Prashanth Braggs 69, Syed Maqsood 63, Sajjad Ali 43, Dawlat Zardan 5 for 55, Mohammed Azam 1 for 30). Joint Men of the Match: Ishitiaq Ghouri and Dawlat Zardan of Wings XI. Umpires: Akbar Ali Khan & B.A Khan. Scorer: Vinod Banda.