NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 10 – Pakistan’s Ali Butt and India’s Chirag Sisodia made a triumphant return to Kenya with match-winning performances as the Ghanshyam T10 Cricket Tournament bowled off at the Cutchi Leva ground on Sunday night.
Initially, no matches were played on Saturday, the official opening day of the event, due to heavy rains that hit Nairobi in the evening.
The skies opened immediately after a well-attended opening ceremony, forcing the organizers to call off the first two matches.
When the event resumed on Sunday, Butt made an immediate impact, scoring a quickfire 52 off 18 balls to lead his side, Mombasa Cement Giants, to a 34-run victory over Ghanshyam Mavericks.
Sisodia’s all-round performance with both bat and ball was the main difference as Maasai Warriors edged out Fearless Fighters by six runs in a closely contested match.
Butt’s explosive knock, which included four sixes and three fours, propelled his side to 123 for 5. In reply, Mavericks could only manage 89 for 7, thanks to a brilliant bowling spell from Kashif Anwar, who took 3 for 11.
The highlight of Butt’s innings came in the sixth over when he scored 28 runs off Pushkar Sharma, including three sixes and two fours.
“I wanted to use the powerplay and I’m happy I was able to capitalize on it,” Butt said.
He shared a crucial second-wicket stand with Asgar Afghan after Hiren Kabariya was bowled for a duck by Sammar Gajjar, the pick of Mavericks bowlers with 2 for 12.
Gajjar also top-scored for his side with 35, while skipper Rushab Patel contributed 22 from 15 balls before falling to Anwar. Manish Kerai and Satish Hirani were Anwar’s other scalps.
In the second match of the night, Sisodia scored 39 off 14 balls as Maasai Warriors posted 116 for 6 in their allotted 10 overs.
Fearless Fighters showed no fear and were on the verge of victory until Sisodia was brought into the attack.
He lived up to expectations by picking up 2 for 14, including the crucial wicket of Afghan international Mohammad Shahzad.
With 16 balls remaining and 29 runs needed for victory, Sisodia shattered Fighters’ hopes by uprooting Shahzad’s stumps. Skipper Sukdeep Singh tried to rally his team but fell short.
The third match of the evening between Hari OM and Ndovu Crushers was another nail-biter, with Hari OM emerging victorious by five runs.
Francis Mutua’s unbeaten 17 turned out to be crucial, leading his side to 107 for 4. In reply, Mutua bagged 3 for 28, halting Ndovu Crushers’ chase and bowling them out for 102 with three balls to play.
Hari OM’s inning started on a sour note when Gurdeep Singh was dismissed for a second-ball duck.
However, Dhwanil Patel (22) and Richard Levi (43) steadied the ship with a second-wicket stand of 48 in 3.4 overs before Mutua came in to add more pressure on the Crushers’ bowlers with seven balls.
Crushers’ inning started similarly to Hari OM’s when Aman Gandhi was bowled for a golden duck.
But skipper Nelson Odhiambo’s stay at the wicket had given Crushers hope of a victory until he was brilliantly caught by James Ngoche on 31 with the board on 68.
Parth Chauhan seemed to have found a formula for winning with a 12-ball 22 runs, but as soon as he was dismissed by Mutua, they never recovered.
