JEDDAH, 3 October 2003 — Jeddah Cricket League celebrated the Saudi National Day in style by selecting players from its member clubs and conducting matches to commemorate the event. It was a JCL sponsored event and the response received was tremendous.
In all 112 players were selected to play 4 matches and the 8 teams were led by Rashid Butt (Team 1), Wajahat (Team 2), Pervez Khan (Team 3), Humayun (Team 4), Nissar (Team 5), Anees Malik (Team 6), Khalid Butt (Team 7) and Azeem (Team 8).
Wajahat XI Triumph Over Azeem XI
Azeem XI were off to good start as openers Amer (33) and Qaddafi (20) belted the bowlers to rattle up runs with ease. Later Aqeel, with 41 of 25 balls, and Azeem, with 40 of 24 balls, accelerated the score to enable their team end at 176 for 6 in 18 overs. In reply Wajahat XI comfortably reached 177 for 7 wickets in 17.2 overs. Opener Faiyaz, with a stylish 59 off 31 balls inclusive of 8 fours and a six, laid the foundation for their strong chase which was further enhanced by skipper Wajahat, who trounced the bowlers at will scoring 50 off only 17 balls with 5 fours and 3 sixes. Rahat chipped in with an unbeaten 21 as Azeem picked up 2 for 25.
Anees Malik XI Overcome
Khalid Butt XI
Anees Malik XI batted first and tallied an impressive 209 for 6 wickets in 18 overs. Rashid Khursheed (35), Nadeem (26), Ghayoor (21), Farooq (40), Osman (25) and Akram (22) batted well to ensure a match-winning total. Shoaib chipped in with 2 for 44. In reply, Khalid Butt XI started well with Amjad (35), Shoaib (20) and Rashid (28) but the middle order caved in to the bowling of Akram and Hassan, who picked up 2 wickets apiece. Although Zahid (20) and Omer (23) tried to make a match of it but the asking rate was too high and they eventually finished at 199 for 7 to give Anees Malik XI a narrow win by 10 runs.
Nissar XI Score Exciting
Win Over Humayun XI
Centuries by skipper Nissar and Zafar for the rival sides saw Nissar XI score a win by 5 wickets with 2 balls to spare over Humayun XI. While Zafar scored an elegant unbeaten105 runs for Humayun XI, skipper Nissar played a captain’s knock, scoring an unbeaten 129, and took his team single-handedly to a fascinating win. Humayun XI ended up at 204 for 5 in 18 overs with Faisal 49 off 21 balls with 7 fours and a six, giving valuable support to Zafar whose ton included 18 boundaries, as Hammad picked up 2 for 28. In reply Nissar led the way despite losing 3 of his top order batsmen in quick succession. Nissar carried on with support from Ibrahim (33) and Javed and remained till the end to ensure his team’s win with a superb 129 runs inclusive of 15 fours and a six.
Cakewalk for Pervez XI
Against Rashid Butt XI
This was the most one-sided match of the day as Rashid Butt XI were bundled out for a paltry 79 runs. Mazoor (2 for 16) and Mujahid (2 for 18) rattled the top half whereas Niaz (3 for 10) and Hussain (2 for 5) mopped up the tail. Only Qassim (22) and Irfan (21) offered resistance. In reply, Pervez Khan XI reached the target scoring 80 for 1 in 6 overs.
At the prize distribution ceremony held at the ground, the proceeding started with the recitation from the Holy Qur’an by Shoaib. JCL President Shahid Amin thanked the teams for their participation and making the Saudi National Day event a success.
