Bilal Samin of Saudi Arabia bats during the Saudi Arabia-Kuwait clash.
Hong Kong clinched the second win in a nail-biting finish as Oman, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia also registered victories on the second day of the ACC U-15 Elite Cup 2007 on Monday.
Hong Kong defeated Malaysia by a wicket with nine balls remaining. Oman bowled out Thailand for 61 and beat them by 10 wickets whereas Afghanistan recorded second comprehensive win defeating Singapore by 8 wickets. Saudi Arabia edged Kuwait by 89 runs.
Hong Kong vs Malaysia
At Birendra Sainik Awasiya Mahavidhyalaya (BSAM) Ground, Hong Kong bowled out Malaysia for 117 in 33.2 overs. Mohd Amarul Rusli was the lone batsman playing patiently scoring 39 runs and opener Zubair Asyraff got 17. Pacer Aizaz Khan spearheaded bowling with three wickets and was supported by Niaz Khan and Nizakat Khan, both of whom took two wickets each.
Hong Kong didn’t begin well the run-chase losing two wickets for six runs but then, Niaz and Nizakat partnered 77 runs for third wicket to get the team back on track. From 83/2 and victory losing evident, Hong Kong suffered a collapse losing six wickets for 15 runs.
The ninth pair got 12, and Hong Kong’s last pair needed eight runs for victory. Malaysia failed and incurred the second loss in two matches and they will blame themselves for it as they gave away 39 extra runs. Nizakat was chosen man of the match for second time.
Farhan Kazi of Saudi Arabia takes a run.
Oman vs Thailand
At TU Cricket Ground, Oman routed Thailand by 10 wickets. Thailand won the toss and elected to bat first. They lost two quick wickets to Karthik Balasubramanium but then Jai Bhagwat (21) and Kshitij Jhaueri (12) steadied the innings along with Ishan Karla (14) to take Thailand to 58/3 in 17 overs.
Then, it was man of the match Saud Haroon Khan (3/15), Karan Prashant Pandya (2/8) and two run-outs ended Thai innings at 61 – they lost last seven wickets for mere three runs.
The opening pair of Oman, Vatsal Mukunda Mehta and Kunal Prashant Pandya batted for 9.2 overs for victory. Vatsal scored 23 in 26 balls with five fours and Kunal got 17 off 31 balls with a six. Oman benefitted from 26 extra runs.
After two rounds, Hong Kong leads Group A with four points from two games while Nepal and Oman are second with two points. Nepal has just played one compared to Oman’s two. Malaysia and Thailand are pointless.
Abdul Qadar of Saudi Arabia was stumped.
Afghanistan vs Singapore
At Lab School Ground, Afghanistan displayed their style of aggressive batting once again to chase Singapore’s 161/9 in 27 overs losing just two wickets. Reza Gaznavi scored a half-century anchoring Singaporean innings. He scored 63 off 105 balls with 10 fours and a six to help Singapore reach 161/9 in 40 overs. Usman Menazir got 18. Abdulla was the pick of Afghanistan bowling with three wickets for 31 runs.
In reply, Hashmatullah scored unbeaten 87 runs of 86 balls with 14 fours and two sixes while Anwar got 53 off 54 balls for an easy victory.
Saudi Arabia vs Kuwait
Kuwait celebrates a Saudi wicket.
At Institute of Engineering (IOE) Ground, Saudi Arabia had an easy walk over Kuwait. Saudi won the toss and elected to bat first. Saudi batsmen failed to stay long at crease but all of them contributed to the total of 190/8. Taha Qamar (30), Emod Uddeen (29), Mohd Abdullah (27) and Badar Uddin (21 not out) were the top scorers while Abdul Samad Sheikh took two wickets.
Kuwait to enroute to victory at 16 overs with 88/3 but then after Abdul Waheed entered the scene and changed everything. Waheed took five wickets in 23 balls giving away nine runs as Kuwait ended the innings at 101 in 20.5 overs.
In Group B, Afghanistan is top of the table with four points while Saudi Arabia and UAE have two points. Kuwait and Singapore are pointless.
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