Delight for Danube Lions as they claim Al Hamad Trophy

Mistakes prove costly for Ibsons as they fall short in the final.

The Danube Lions got the better of Ibsons in the Al Hamad Trophy final.

ABU DHABI // A moment of madness ruined Fayyaz Ahmed's good work and cost Ibsons the Al Hamad trophy.

The UAE international had produced a gem-of-a-knock 86 to revive his team's run chase of 260 against Danube Lions, on Friday night, but lost his wicket to a rash shot when five runs were required from seven deliveries left of their innings.

Fayyaz hit medium pacer Zahoor Khan straight down Adnan Mufti's throat at mid-off, which brought the last pair in.

Panic then set in when Zohaib Akhtar, who chipped in with a useful 23 not out, ran out his partner Kamal Hussain next ball.

Akhtar pulled Rohan Mustafa's first delivery to the deep mid-wicket but did not respond to a call from Hussain for a second run. Instead they ended up at the same end.

Danube went on to claim the Al Hamad trophy, the capital's premier 50-over tournament, by three runs at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in a day-night game that ended around midnight.

It was a first trophy for the team since it was established eight months ago.

"We have been waiting for this moment ever since the team was founded and I hope this trophy will lead us to many more in the coming months," said Rohan Mustafa, the captain and a UAE bowler.

"We had reached two semi-finals and the other day lost a final [in the Mulk Holding Twenty20 Cup]. We are in two more semi-finals in Dubai and hopefully we can carry this momentum forward."

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