HBK, Al Fardan enter Qatar Airways Division B cricket final

Doha: HBK and Al Fardan Exchange Club will clash for the top honours at the Qatar Airways Division B Cricket tournament, organised by the Qatar Cricket Association. Both HBK and Al Fardan posted contrasting wins over their respective rivals in the semifinals at the West Bay Grounds.Facing a stiff 164-run target against Masters Club, HBK secured victory in the 25th and final over, losing seven wickets. Asantha smashed a fine 60 and took a wicket to win the Man of the Match award. Asad (25), Dasun (20), Asitha (15) and Nimantha (15) were other vital scorers, besides Asantha. Gayan got two wickets, while Khadeer, Sajeet and Savadr got a scalp apice. Earlier, Masters Club reached a fighting target of 163 for in 25 overs thanks to Rabie’s 42 and Khadeer 31. Aman (18) and Tauseef (17) also played useful knocks.  Al Fardan Exchange Club earned an easy 23-run triumph against Centurion in another semi-final. With Arslan hammering a fine 55, Al Fardan piled up 190 for eight in 23 overs. Irfan Shahid (23) and Hussain (22) were other good contributors to take the score close to 200-mark. Sameer (3 wickets) and Aftab grabbed five wickets between them. Kashif scalped four players, while Irshad and Ramdan shared four wickets to shoot out the rivals for 167. Shareef (36), Afzal (32), Arshad (29) and Mehboob (19) attempted hard to keep their team into the contention.The Division C final will feature Warriors Club against Al Rayyan Sports Club. Warriors Club outclassed Chittagong Club by 100 runs after Ali Najeeb and Kushal struck second half-century in a row. Najeeb clobbered 82 and Kushal cracked 63, which lifted the winners to 218 for six in 25 overs. Muzammil, Iqbal and Shakib all bagged two wickets each. Chittagong Club surrendered easily and could make only 118 in 20 overs. Sandeep Kothari (3 wickets) and Upul (3 wickets) led the downfall of the opponents. Shareef also picked two.Ibrahim collected a second Man of the Match performance to spark Al Rayyan Sports Club to a three-wicket victory against Chiyoda Al Mana Club. Sajjad and Ibrahim both grabbed three wickets each and Muasif dismissed two players. Ismaeel was the only player to shine and get 24 runs.  Al Rayyan Club, batting first, needed only 17 overs to overhaul the target. Mukhtar (26) and Wahid (22) were the principal scorers. Riaz and Ismail bagged three wickets each but could not hold off their victory push. Brief scoresDivision BMasters CC batting 163 all out in 25 overs (Rabie 42, Khadeer 31, Tawseef 17, Sajith 13, Aman 18; Mughees 2wkts, Ushanta 1wkt, Gayan 1wkt, Ajanta 2wkts, Nimantha 2wkts) lost to HBK made 164 /7 in 25 overs (Usantha 60, Asitha 15, Dasun 20, Asad 25, Nimantha 15; Khadeer 1wkt, Gayan 2wkts, Sajeet 1wkt, Savadr 1wkt) Al Fardan 190 for 8 wkts in 23 overs (Arslan 55, Hussain 22, Ramzan 11, Irfan Shahid 23, Kashif 11, Azhar 14, Romi 8; Saad 1wkt, Aftab 2wkts, Sameer 3wkts) bt Centurion (Shareef 36, Arshad 29, Mehboob 19, Siraj 14, Afsal 32; Irshad 2wkts, Hussain 1wkt, Saleem 1wkt, Kashif 4wkts, Ramdan 2wkts)Division C Warriors 218 /6 in 24 overs (Shakir 16, Upul 21, Shahid 15, Ali Najeeb 82, Kushal Kumar 63;  Iqbal 2wkts, Mujamal 2wkts, Shakib 2wkts) bt Chittagong 118 all out in 20 overs (Tipu 22, Jahad 32, Jakaria 18; Shareef 2wkts, Shaheer 1wkt, Upul 3wkts, Sandeep Kottary 3wkts, Sameer 1wkt)  Chiyoda Al Mana 101 all out in 25 overs (Biju 18, Ismaeel 24, Mufas 15, Vikas 7, Sajith 7, Dilshan 7; Abbas 1wkt, Sajjad 3wkts, Ibrahim 3wkts, Muasif 2wkts) lost to Al Rayan Sports 105 / 7 in 17 overs (Ibrar 12, Mukhtiar 26, Wahid 22, Adnan 11; Mafas 1wkt, Riyas 3wkts, Ismail 3wkts)