G Force, YTCA in inter-Academy U-13 final

G Force Cricket Academy rode on a superb unbeaten half century by Mohammad Shahdad to defeat Sharjah Cricket Academy Red to enter the final of the SCC Inter-Academy Under-13 tournament held under the auspices of Emirates Cricket Board and conducted by Sharjah Cricket Council at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

In the other semifinals played at Al Dhaid Cricket Village, Young Talent Cricket Academy overpowered Desert Cubs Cricket Academy by four wickets.

The final will take place at Sharjah Cricket Stadium commencing at 9am on Saturday January 12.

Chasing 128 to win, G Force did not have the best of the starts losing Deyansh Porley (10) and Aditya Mysore (14) via run outs.

Shahdad got the momentum back in G Force’s favour scoring a gritty 54 not out in 51 balls including five boundaries. He shared a 46-run stand with Hrithik Bhatia (17) for the fourth wicket as G Force achieved the target in the final over.

Earlier, opting to bat first, Abhinav Singla scored a superb 52 from only 48 balls with the help of two boundaries. Akash Mohan chipped in with a 31-ball 20 as SCA reached 127 for seven in 20 overs. For G Force, Marlon Malcom was best bowler scalping three wickets while Devansh Popley took two.

At Al Dhaid, put in to bat Desert Cubs had a shaky start with wickets falling at regular intervals thanks to some brilliant bowling by Aryan Lakra who conceded only three runs from his four overs giving away only one run and accounted for a wicket.

Lower order batsmen Pranav Kumar (16) and Goutham Godal (11) made significant contributions that ensured Desert Cubs had a respectable total of 92 for nine in 20 overs.

In reply, Young Talent suffered an early jolt but recovered well with Ritik Sunil (18) and Fahad Nawaz (24) adding 38 runs for the second wicket. Ali Mirza scored an unbeaten 27 as Young Talent accomplished the target in 18.5 overs.

Brief scores:

G Force CA bt Sharjah CA Red by 7 wickets
SCA 127 for 7 in 20 overs (Abhinav Singla 52, Akash Mohan 20, Nihal Anwar 13; Marlon Malcom 3 for 24, Devansh Popley 2 for 16) G Force CA 130 for 3 in 19.2 overs (Devansh Porley 10, Aditya Mysore 14, Mohammad Shahdad 54 not out, Hrithik Bhatia 17). Man of the Match: Mohammad Shahdad.

Young Talent CA bt Desert Cubs CA by 4 wickets
Desert Cubs 92 for 9 in 20 overs (Ryan Bastians 10, Dillon Bashans 11, Pranav Kumar 16 not out, Goutham Godal 11 not out; Sparsh Hegde 2 for 15, Ali Mirza 2 for 16) Young Talent CA: 93 for 6 in 18.5 overs (Ritik Sunil 18, Fahad Nawaz 24, Ali Mirza 27 not out; Asheer Akbhar 3 for 11). Man of the Match: Mohammad Ali Mirza.

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