CP Rizwan makes point with T20 blitz in Sharjah Ramadan Cup final

UAE batter takes Inter Globe Marine to title against outgoing champions Future Mattress

Interglobe Marine celebrate during the Sharjah Ramadan Cup final between against Future Mattress at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National

Future Mattress' Alishan Sharafu bats during the Sharjah Ramadan Cup final.

Future Mattress batter Muhammad Usman hits a shot during the Sharjah Ramadan Cup final.

Interglobe Marine captain Asif Mumtaz during the Sharjah Ramadan Cup final.

Future Mattress player Rohan Mustafa watches the Sharjah Ramadan Cup final from the dugout.

Future Mattress batter Rohan Mustafa walks off the field after his wicket was taken by Interglobe Marine's Asif Mumtaz.

Future Mattress batter Abdul Shakoor plays a shot in the Sharjah Ramadan Cup final.

Interglobe Marine's Attaullah takes the wicket of Future Mattress batter Muhammad Usman.

Future Mattress batter Muhammad Usman plays a shot in the Ramadan Cup final.

Interglobe Marine's Basil Hameed during the Ramadan Cup final.

Interglobe Marine's Asif Mumtaz bowls during the Ramadan Cup final.

Interglobe Marine's Attaullah catches Future Mattress' Abdul Shakoor.

Future Mattress batter Qamar Awan dives to the crease to avoid getting stumped.

Future Mattress batter Alishan Sharafu plays a shot in the Ramadan Cup final.

Interglobe Marine's Asif Khan takes the wicket of Future Mattress' Qamar Awan.

Officials line up before the Sharjah Ramadan Cup final between Interglobe Marine and Future Mattress.

CP Rizwan fired a reminder of his ability with a dominant batting display to secure the 33rd Sharjah Ramadan Cup for Inter Globe Marine on Tuesday night.

The final, against defending champions Future Mattress, involved an array of players from the UAE national team.

Intriguingly, it pitted together a number of the players who are competing for places in the middle order of the senior representative side.

Alishan Sharafu and Mohammed Usman had the first chances to impress after Future Mattress were invited to bat first.

Sharafu, who captained UAE at the Under 19 World Cup in the West Indies earlier this year, made 32 from 19 balls.

Usman, who is the highest-ranked UAE batter in one-day international cricket yet has been sidelined of late, played a sparkling cameo in the late overs worth 25 from 14 balls. That included sixes which went over the stands and out of the stadium on either side of the ground.

The target they set of 183 from 20 overs was not enough, though, thanks to a pair of batters who have suffered tricky times while on international duty of late.

Asif Khan earned a first call up to the national team in March. Although he made 81 not out in an ODI win over Papua New Guinea, he subsequently found himself out of the team. But he got IGM’s chase in the cup final off to a flying start with an innings of 59.

Rizwan himself endured a lean run in the back-to-back Cricket World Cup League 2 series played in UAE last month.

The national team won five of their eight matches, but Rizwan had a tough time. He managed a best of 40 from seven innings, was spoken to by the match referee for showing disappointment at an umpire’s decision, and attracted criticism for his slow scoring rate.

His effort in the Ramadan Cup final belied that assessment, though. The Keralite batter hit four sixes and five fours in a 40-ball stay worth 70 not out. It gave his side an eight-wicket win with nine balls to spare.