NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 12 – Champions Ruaraka A are back on top of Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) 50- Overs League log after Swamibapa A’s unbeaten run was brought to an end by Sikh Union A.
The big three Ruaraka, Swamibapa and Kanbis have all accumulated 20 points, but the champions have a slight edge on Net Run rate, serving up great moments ahead for NPCA’s first tier competition.
Ruaraka A and Kanbis A were back to winning ways after losing in their fixtures last weekend.
Ruaraka defeated Kenya Kongonis by 6-Runs at Nairobi Club while Kanbis A beat Sir Ali Muslim Club A by 5 wickets at Sir Ali ground.
But Sikh Union caused the biggest upset of the weekend with a 7-Wicket home win against frontrunners Swamibapa.
Elated Sikh Union skipper Sukhdeep Singh said the victory goes to show that the Sikhs can no longer be taken lightly; as he heaped praise on his boys after they humbled the Swamis.
Union enrolls three pros from Pakistan
Sikh Union has been on a roll since enlisting three pros from Pakistan, namely Ali Shahid Butt, Shoaib Akram and Ali Raza. Shoaib and Butt both scored centuries to enable the Sikhs prevail against the Swamis whilst Dhwanil Patel also hit a century for his team.
Sikh Union won the toss and elected to field first, with Swamibapa scoring 275 for 8 in 50 overs. In reply, Sikh Union smacked 276 for the loss of 3 in 47.7-Overs.
Sukhdeep was all smiles: “This was an amazing win for our boys; and coming into this league we didn’t want any team to take Sikh Union lightly because we have a well-balanced squad. To our team, well done for the win. The collective team effort made us restrict them (Swamibapa) to 275 and while batting the brilliance of Shoaib and Ali Butt were amazing. This was the experience we needed in our team and we are glad to have them and learn a lot from them since we are a young squad.”
Nairobi Gymkhana registered their second straight win of the. NPCA 50-Overs season entering its eighth week.
Gymkhana handed T-20 Champions Stray Lions a 77-Run blow at Nairobi Jaffrey’s to move a berth up to 7th on the NPCA log.
Stray Lions A won the toss and elected to field first in what turned out to be a low-scoring encounter.
Gymkhana bowled out
Gymkhana were bowled out for 169 in 44.3 Overs but their victory campaign was effectively sewn up when their match adversaries failed to click in the second innings.
Following the early collapse of their top order, the Lions found it difficult to chase Gymkhana’s target.
With the Lion’s top order of Chathura De Silva (21 off 31 balls), Kavi Dosaja (1 off 5 balls) and Neil Mugabe (26 off 30) back to the pavilion, scorers were few and far between as wickets fell freely to the delight of Gymkhana fielders.
Stray Lions skipper Tanzeel Sheikh could only manage one run off 2 deliveries whilst Hiren Varaiya was also sent back to the pavilion with only 1 off 22 balls. Middle Order batsman Akshith Serak could only manage a ‘duck’ on his part as Stray Lions’ batting woes continued.
Nairobi Gymkhana’s Sami Sohail was the match’s top scorer with 60 off 42 balls while his teammate Yuvraj Bhatyani the second best with 58 off 101 balls.
Gymkhana’s win follows their season’s maiden victory last weekend where they beat Sir Ali Muslim Club A by 7 wickets.
Prior to last weekend, Gymkhana had lost four matches and picked a No Result (NR) against Kenya Kongonis in a match abandoned due to inclement weather.
