Batters dominate as Emirates Red thrash Sharjah in D10 League

ABU DHABI: A collective effort by Emirates Red batters followed by Abdullah Kayani’s 3/12 propelled them to an eight-run victory over Sharjah in the 36th match of the ongoing Emirates D10 League.

Opting to bat first, Emirates Red put on a massive total of 120 for the loss of four wickets in their quota of 20 overs at the back of a collective effort by their batting lineup.

Earlier, Emirates Red had a contrasting start to their innings as they lost their first wicket for just 11 runs in the second over as Ahaan Fernandes perished cheaply for eight off nine deliveries.

Following the early hiccup, Muhammad Irfan and Muhammad Shahdad put on a gritty second-wicket partnership and brought their side back on track before the former perished in the fourth over.

Muhammad Irfan was the core aggressor of his 31-run stand with Shahdad as he scored a blistering 26 off 12 balls, laced up with three boundaries.

Following his dismissal, Shahdaad then received another reliable partner in the form of newly-arrived Sana Ul Haq Bhatti and the pair switched gears amid their third-wicket partnership and took Emirates Red past the 100-run mark in the ninth over.

Shahdad, who was scoring rather cautiously, saw the end of his crucial knock on the first delivery of the final over but remained the top-scorer for his side. He scored 31 of 23 deliveries, hitting two boundaries and as many sixes.

Emirates Red sustained another blow in the final over when Sana Ul Haq Bhatti got run out on the fourth delivery. He scored a brisk 24 off 14 balls with the help of three boundaries and a six.

Muhammad Mudassar Ali, Mohammad Nadeem and Taimoor Bhatti struck out a batter each for Sharjah.

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Set to chase a massive 121-run target, Sharjah fell just eight runs short despite Muhammad Uzair-Khan’s swashbuckling 40-run knock.

Sharjah had a dismal start to the run chase as they were two down for just seven runs in the first over as opener Hassan Eisakhel (0) and Khalid Shah (4) perished cheaply.

Hard-hitting opener Usman Khan looked to counter-attack Emirates Red bowlers with belligerent hitting on his way to a 16-ball 31 which featured five boundaries and a six.

The right-handed batter failed to stretch his domination and fell in the fourth over when his side was on track to chase down the total with being 45/3.

Following Usman’s dismissal, Sharjah began to lose wickets at regular intervals while Muhammad Uzair-Khan stood his ground firm on the other end.

Uzair singlehandedly kept Sharjah in the hunt but his unfortunate dismissal in the final over resulted in Sharjah falling eight runs short.

He smashed two boundaries and four sixes on his way to an astonishing 18-ball 40.

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