2.50 AM Friday, 29 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:56 06:10 12:26 15:53 18:37 19:52
29 March 2024

Forty's Club UAE defeat UK veterans

Forty's UAE and Forty's UK players pose during the break. (SUPPLIED)

Published
By Staff

Qazi Ayub and Mohammed Hyder dazzled with the bat to spearhead Forty’s Cricket Club UAE to a 36-run win over Forty’s Club from UK who also go by the name XL Club - Easter County in a friendly match played between the two sides on Friday night at the ICC Global Cricket academy

Playing  their first 35-overs game against an international side, the newly formed Forty’s Club UAE recovered after a disastrous start to make 173 on a slow and difficult track. The visitors were restricted to 137.

The UAE side batting first lost CTK Nasir leg before wicket to Nigel Gadsby and one drop Vijay Mehra was caught off an uppish drive at mid-off again off the bowling  off Gadsby. 

Opener Nalin Khaitan kept his end playing attacking cricket to make a run-a-ball 23 with two boundaries to keep his team in the game until he was finally bowled by Phil Deakin who also prised out Abbas Khan (11), Paresh Amarnani and Shaji Shahtaj while Irfan Ansari was run-out to leave the hosts struggling at 66 for seven.
 
Hyder and Ayub came to the rescue with a 68-run partnership for the eighth wicket, first playing themselves in and then opening out their shoulders to play some attractive shots on both sides of the wicket.
Ayub making 47 in 49 balls with three fours and two massive sixes while Hyder made 47 off 37 balls with seven boundaries, dancing down the wicket to drive handsomely in front of the wicket on a number of occasions.

Deakin was the pick of the bowlers bagging four for 14 while Nigel Gadsby claimed two for 25.

XL Club’s also found the going tough when they began the run chase.

Freddy Sidhwa got the breakthrough when he had Rob Nelson stumped by Abbas Khan and CTK Nasir picked up Nigel Gadsby and Pat patel to put them on the backfoot.

Rob Warne and M. Pether then put their heads down to play some sedate cricket to bring them back into the game. Rob made 25 off 24 with two boundaries before Sidhwa broke the partnership. 

Belying his age, Sidhwa then pulled off a blinder of a catch diving at short mid on to send Pether back for a well made 19.

Nick Jelly then played a lone hand making an unbeaten 23 while wickets fell regularly with three batsmen being run-out by the sharp fielding of the UAE seniors to end the English side's innings on 137.

At the post match presentation I.P Khaitan, Shaji Shahtaj and Mohamed Lokhandwala  presented a momento to Robert Smith the manager of the Forty’s Club - UK while the Best Players' awards were won by Phil Deakin for his four wickets while  Hyder and Qazi Ayub won theirs  for their match winning knocks.