MUSCAT: The Qurum Thunders kick-started proceedings on Day 7 of the D10 league with a 6-wicket  victory over the Azaiba XI at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground on March 19, 2022. 

Electing to bat first after winning the toss, the Azaiba XI made a competitive 98/5 at the end of 10 overs. Arsalan Bashir continued his excellent form with the bat and top-scored for his side once again. Rao Waqar, Akmal Shahzad, Usman Haider, and Haythim Bahar Ali were the others to register double-figure totals. 

The Thunders made light work of the task at hand and finished the job with 9 balls to spare.  Jatinder Singh was dismissed for a golden duck after etching his name in the record books with a 13-ball half-century in the previous game, but a 19-ball 44 from his opening partner  Kashyap Prajapati was enough to take the Thunders past the finish line, alongside contributions from Shoaib Khan, Suraj Kumar Singh and Sandeep Goud. 

In the day’s second game, the Bousher Busters registered a comfortable 8-wicket win over the Khuwair Warriors. 

The Warriors chose to bat first and made their way to 93/6 at the end of their innings. Azam  Ali was the star of the show with the bat. Opening the innings, he made a spectacular 28-ball  51 to anchor his side’s progress. But equally, his efforts were matched by Fawad Ali whose stunning 2-over spell yielded 4 wickets for the Busters. 

Thanks to a 81-run opening partnership between Abdul Rauf Atta Ullah and Asif Khan, the second innings was a straightforward affair in its entirety, for the side from Bousher. The latter top-scored with a devastating 18-ball 56, with Muzahir Raza of the Warriors, in particular, facing heavy punishment. Asif smashed 5 consecutive sixes off his solitary over. The Busters ended the contest with 23 balls to spare. 

Following next, table toppers Ruwi Rangers emerged victorious in their game against the  Darsait Titans, in what was a keenly anticipated D20 final rematch. 

In keeping with the theme of the day, the side batting first made an excellent first innings total, but was unable to defend it in the end. This time around, it was the Darsait Titans that made 112/5 after 10 overs. Zeeshan Maqsood made 50 runs and was ably supported over the course of a 73-run partnership by Khurram Khan, who accumulated 35 himself. Hassnain Ali and Jitenkumar Ramanandi picked up 2 wickets apiece for the Rangers. 

The second innings saw double-figure contributions across the board for the side from Ruwi.  Khalid Kail was the top scorer with a 17-ball 43. Hanan Rizwan, Shafqat Ullah, Imran Alam and  Mohammad Naseem were the others to play their part in an eventual 6 wicket victory for the  Rangers, achieved with an over to spare.

In the final game of the day, after clinching 4 wins in a row to start the series, the Amerat  Royals slumped to a second successive defeat. The Ghubrah Giants beat them by 7 runs in a  closely-fought high-scoring encounter. 

Batting first after winning the toss, the Giants posted a first-innings total of 123/6. The usual suspects stepped up once again – Kashif Ali led the scoring with an expertly crafted 30-ball 62  and Dean Foxcroft made 31 runs of his own. Rafi Ullah was sensational with the ball for the  Royals, ending the day with figures of 4/15. 

Chasing, the Royals managed to keep wickets in the bank for the entire run-chase but the asking rate proved too much to handle. They finished on 116/3, with healthy contributions from Pratik Athavale, Akshaykumar Patel, and Vinayak Shukla. 

BRIEF SCORES: 

Azaiba XI 98/5 in 10 overs (Arsalan Bashir 29(17) 2 x 4, 2 x 6 ; Chonira Aiyappa 11/1) lost to  Qurum Thunders 101/4 in 8.3 overs (Kashyapkumar Prajapati 44(19) 3 x 4, 4 x 6 Sandeep Goud  24(13) 1 x 4, 2 x 6 ; Jasim Illahi NAsir Ali 22/1) by 6 wickets 

Khuwair Warriors 93/6 in 10 overs (Azam Ali 51(28) 5 x 4, 2 x 6 ; Fawad Ali 12/4) lost to Bousher  Busters 94/2 in 6.1 overs (Asif Khan 56(18) 3 x 4, 6 x 6 Abdul Rauf Atta Ullah 28(12) 1 x 4, 3 x  6 ; Arjun Suresh Dhiman 2/1) by 8 wickets 

Darsait Titans 112/5 in 10 overs (Zeeshan Maqsood 50(31) 7 x 4, 2 x 6 Khurram Khan 35(18) 2  x 4, 3 x 6 ; Jitenkumar Ramanandi 20/2) lost to Ruwi Rangers 113/4 in 9 overs (Khalid Kail  43(17) 3 x 4, 4 x 6 ; Amanpreet Singh Sirah 8/1) by 6 wickets 

Ghubrah Giants 123/6 in 10 overs (Kashif Ali 62(30) 2 x 4, 6 x 6 Dean Foxcroft 31(22) 3 x 4, 1  x 6 ; Rafi Ullah 15/4) beat Amerat Royals 116/3 in 10 overs (Akshaykumar Patel 33(17) 4 x 6  Vinayak Shukla 32(9) 1 x 4, 4 x 6 Pratik Athivale 28(26) 1 x 4, 1 x 6 ; Eameen Habib 11/1) by 7  runs