Exiles advance into final of the Alliance Friday Bash!

Dubai Exiles Cricket Club advanced into the final of the Alliance Friday Bash 20-20 competition after defeating league leaders Al Taher Chemicals Trading LLC on New Years Day at Skyline University in Sharjah.

After winning the toss and electing to field, Exiles Cricket Club’s Friday Bash side, made up of seasoned senior players and a reasonable amount of teenagers too. Oliver Wood (13 years old), Flynn Eglen (14 years old) and Aaryan Ahuja (17) acquitted themselves superbly in contributing to the Exiles finding themselves in the upcoming final.

14 year old Flynn Eglen collected 2 wickets

13 year old Oliver Wood had a great game

17 year old Wicket Keeper Aaryan Ahuja

Aditya Khurana runs down what looked like a certain 4

A big appeal from Flynn Eglen

The Exiles Cricket Club bowling attack got off to a pretty good start, Al Taher quickly lost the wicket of Taher Saify, clean bowled by Musadiq Puri after scoring 6 runs, Al Taher with 11 runs on the board. Fellow opener Nitin Vangani soon followed, clean bowled but this time by Muhammad Akbar Bosan.

Al Taher were unlucky in the middle of their batting order, batsman Sukhi unfortunately had to retire due to an injury after adding 33 runs to the Al Taher score. Qutubuddin Saify found himself trapped by the bowling of 14 year old Flynn Eglen and was given lbw, Zaman Attari was also dispatched by young Eglen, Zaman had gone for a wild swing and found himself caught out near the boundary by Musadiq Puri.

Oliver Wood thinks it through

Congratulations all-round

Muhammad Akbar Bosan took 2 wickets

Shayan Khan stretches his legs

Muhammad Imran made a fight of it, adding 36 (not out) to the Al Taher score which eventually ended with 192 runs on the board. Exiles Cricket Club had been quite generous with extras and gifted Al Taher 18 runs.

Harsh ‘Harry’ Udeshi finished with 78 off just 55 balls

Salman Asghar added  an impressive 57

Harsh ‘Harry’ Udeshi and Salman Asghar opened the batting for the Exiles. With over 9 runs an over needed to chase down the Al Taher score, ‘Harry’ and Salman set about the Al Taher bowling attack – in some style. By the time Salman Asghar‘s wicket fell (57 off 36 balls), Exiles Cricket Club has posted 155 runs off just 12 overs and were well into the hunt for their target.

Musadiq Puri (15 off 9) introduced himself to the innings with a thumping 6. Moin Deshmukh had made himself comfortable in the middle of the oval, when ‘Harry‘ who’d hit a magnificent 78 off just 55 balls, got caught out by some indecision in the middle of the wicket and was run out, Harry’s frustration was obvious.

Mohammad Akbar Bosan joined the innings, just as the match was heading into its final over. There’s been a lot of nail biters in Exiles Cricket Club’s season so far, three matches coming down to the last ball. This one had come down to 7 runs needed of the final over.

As the Exiles’ Cricket support gathered at the boundary, Al Taher’s final over bowler lined himself up and the audience wondered if it was going to be another ‘final ball’ match. Muhammad Akbar Bosan clearly wasn’t in the mood to let things boil down to the last ball again. With an energy enthused swipe, he sent he first ball he faced over the wall behind the onrushing bowler. The scores were tied, 5 balls left. A couple of balls later, Bosan found another boundary, and Dubai Exiles Cricket Club found itself in the final of the Alliance Friday Bash.

It was probably a friendly chat

Winners are grinners