Gul and Raza star in DCC-Elite Cup triumph for Alubond Tigers

A whirlwind knock from man of the match Amjad Gul (94, 7x6, 5x4, 69 balls) and his 161-run partnership with Hassan Raza (79, 5x4, 99 balls) helped Alubond Tigers defeat Ibsons CC by 81 runs in the final of the 3rd Elite Cricket Cup at the Fairground of the Dubai Men’s College on Sunday.

It was sweet revenge for Alubond who lost by three wickets when the two teams met in the league stage.

In that match Alubond won the toss and posted 165. Ibsons achieved their target in 43.1 overs.

This time Ibsons won the toss and skipper Babar Malik opted to chase down the target.

However, the script took a different turn this time and though Alubond faltered initially when their top three batsmen returned to the pavilion with just 49 on the board, Ibsons found themselves at the receiving end once Gul and Raza were at the crease.

Gul launched into the Ibsons bowlers clubbing seven sixes and five boundaries but missed out on a century by six runs.

Raza complemented him with a well composed 79 adding 161 runs for the fourth wicket.

Two wickets in quick succession had Ibsons breathing a little easy, but only momentarily as Umair Ali Khan came and hit four massive sixes and a boundary in his cameo of 44 from only 19 balls.

Misbah Khan and Fayaz Ahmed bagged two wickets each but both went for plenty of runs. Ahmed Shaukat was economical with his eight overs costing only 13 runs.

Skipper Malik led the chase with a half century (52), but the target was a Herculean one.

Sajjad Mohammed kept Ibsons in the hunt with a run-a-ball 47 but was run out at a crucial stage.

Bilal Hussain (36) and Waseem Baig (33) too chipped in but battled in a losing cause.

Rohan Mustafa, who later bagged the Player of the Tournament award, claimed three wickets, while Mohammed Azhar, best bowler of the tournament, snared two.

Brief scores:

Alubond Tigers beat Ibsons CC by 81 runs: Alubond 305 for 6 in 50 overs (Amjad Gul 94, Hassan Raza 70, Umair Ali Khan 44 n.o., Rohan Mustafa 20; Misbah Khan 2-54, Fayaz Ahmed 2-68) Ibsons 224 all out in 46.2 overs (Babar Malik 52, Sajjad Mohammed 47, Bilal Hussain 36, Waseem Baig 33; Rohan Mustafa 3-54, Asif Mumtaz 2-38, Mohammed Azhar 2-46). Man of the match: Amjad Gul of Alubond Tigers.
 
Best batsman: Gulam Shabbir of Alubond Tigers (144 runs in 4 matches)
Best bowler: Mohammed Azhar of Alubond Tigers (12 wickets in 4 matches)
Player of the tournament: Rohan Mustafa of Alubond Tigers (84 runs and six wickets in 4 matches)
Best wicket-keeper: Bilal Cheema of Fly Emirates (Four stumpings and seven catches in 3 matches).

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