Aijaz Ahmed Khan JEDDAH – Deccan Knights beat Kanoo Travel by 7 runs in a thrilling final to lift the Ace Travel Cup which is sponsored by Ace Travels & Tours and organized by the Jeddah Cricket Association (JCA).
Deccan Knights, batting first, scored 232-9. Afroz batted fluently for 40 off 19 balls with six fours and a six while Najeeb gave him good support with a patient 31. But it was Athar who stole the limelight with a solid knock of 76 which included 8 fours while Inayath (16) propped the lower order to enable Deccan reach a good total. Ishaq (3-29), Shahid (2-46), Akbar (one) and Haroon (one) were the wicket-takers. In reply, Kanoo Travel started aggressively as Kaleem and Mazhar scored 70 in the first 9 overs. Kaleem hit 53 with four fours and two sixes while Mazhar chipped in with 24. Mazhar went on to make 70. Later Amir made 36, Akbar 28 and Ishaq 21. But the asking rate started climbing thanks to some tight bowling by Ajju (2-28), Athar (2-39) and Inayath (1-27) which bundled out Kanoo Travel for 225. Athar won the Man of the Match award for his 76 runs and 2-39. Kumar Krishnan and Azam Khan were the umpires. During the prize distribution function after the match, Azizullah Sheriff welcomed chief guest Shamshad Ahmed Khan, Director, Finance, Ace Travels & Tours, and other dignitaries. On behalf of JCA president Mohammad Iqbal, vice president Aijaz Ahmed Khan thanked sponsors for their continuous support. Chief guest Shamshad Ahmed Khan appreciated the JCA committee, congratulated the teams and assured JCA officials to continue the sponsorship. Awards: Winner – Deccan Knights Cricket Club; runner-up – Kanoo Travel; batsman with maximum runs – Syed Farukh Najeeb of Deccan Knights; batsmen with highest averages – Syed Farukh Najeeb of Deccan Knights, Wajid Samdani of ACE Travels, Athar Ali of NATCO, Sohail of Deccan Knights, Parvez Khan of Kanoo Travel, Mohammad Irfan of Zinda Tilismat of Hyderabad, Ather Abdul Quddus of Deccan Knights; best batting performance in a match – Syed Farukh Najeeb of Deccan Knights; bowler with highest wickets in the league – Akbar of Kanoo Travel; bowlers with best averages – Ather Abdul Quddus of Deccan Knights, Akbar of Kanoo Travel & Abdul Quddus of Desert Warriors; best bowling in a match – Mehmood of Kanoo Travel; best all-rounder – Ather Abdul Quddus of Deccan Knights; best all-round performance in a match – Ather Abdul Quddus of Deccan Knights; best partnership – Syed Farukh Najeeb and Ather Abdul Quddus of Deccan Knights, Wajid Samdani and Sadath of Ace Travels; hat trick – Abdul Quddus of Desert Warriors. Service awards were given to umpires including the final match officials Kumar Krishnan and Azam Khan.
