Afridi CC are Sharjah Invitation League champions

SHARJAH // Shahzad Manna hit a blistering half-century while Hashmat Khan returned with a four-wicket haul as Afridi CC defeated Ibsons CC by nine runs in the final to win the 18th Sharjah Invitational Tournament at Al Dhaid Cricket Village.

Afridi did not complete their full quota of overs but managed to put up a decent target thanks to Shahzad's 57 in just 22 balls with the help of five fours and as many sixes.

Abdullah Azhar (32 off 16 balls with three fours and two sixes) and Haji Irfan (26 off 22 balls) also batted well to consolidate the innings.

Khurram Bhatti took three wickets for 29 runs while Saleem Sabir picked two for 34.

Ibsons CC, in reply, had their chances to overhaul the Afridi score, but they failed to provide the finishing touch in the face of a tidy spell of 4-34 by Hashmat. Saqib Ali led their reply with a brilliant 70 off 47 balls which included six fours and two sixes. Khurram Khan (30 off 28 balls) and Rehman Qadar (24 off 12 balls) were the other main scorers as Ibsons scored 172 for eight.

Hashmat was well supported by Irfan who snared two wickets for 34 runs while Abdullah Azhar grabbed one for just four runs to seal a well-deserved win.

Brief scores:

Afridi CC 181 in 18.4 overs (Shahzad Manna 57, Abdullah Azhar 32, Haji Irfan 26; Khurram Bhatti 3-29, Saleem Sabir 2-34) bt Ibsons CC 172-8 (Saqib Ali 70, Khurram Khan 30, Rehman Qadir 24, Irfan Sajid 19 not out; Hashmat Khan 4-26, Haji Irfan 2-34, Abdullah Azhar 1-4) by nine runs. Man of the match: Hashmat Khan.