Naseer shines as ECB Greens win

The UAE U-19 hopefuls, who were knocked out for 17 in their opening game, did well to dismiss Al Fahim to 106 all out.

 Salem A.R. Saleh in deep thought before deciding on his next move on Wednesday night. — Supplied photo

Abu Dhabi — Emirates Cricket Board Greens bounced back to salvage their battered pride in the Ace-Pan Global Group Ramadan Twenty20 Cup at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

The UAE U-19 hopefuls, who were knocked out for 17 in their opening game, did well to dismiss Al Fahim to 106 all out. They then knocked off the winning runs for the loss of four wickets.

Naseer Khan, the 16-year-old leg spinner, took four for 22 from four overs after Atharva Kavi, coming in as the first change, grabbed the first two wickets to fall to a bowler following the run out of opener Abdul Aziz (3).

Thushara Nuwan, opening the attack for Al Fahim, conceded 20 runs that included eight wides. That provided the ECB Greens a flying start, and with their openers Waruna Perera (33) and Mohammed Riyan (15), they raced to 64 for no loss in the seventh over.

Prasanna Peiris had both the openers removed and Iftikhar Ali provided another double blow to leave the youngsters in a bit of a spot at 83 for four. But Ethen Holmes (22 not out) and Yodhin Punja (11 not out) saw them through with more than three overs to spare.

Life Line Hospital too kept their hopes of moving beyond the group stage with a resounding 10-wicket win over newcomers Abu Dhabi Airport Company, who were shot out for 77.

Mohammed Muneer took four for 17 while Touseef Imran and Imran Javed bagged six between them as 10 wickets fell for 38 runs after the ADAC openers had put on 39 in just over seven overs.

Hexa Oil and Gas and Health Authority Abu Dhabi got their campaigns off to bright starts with convincing victories over Adyard and Punjab Lions in Group C and D respectively.

james@khaleejtimes.com