Yogi keep cool to scrape past Ibsons

SHARJAH // The Yogi Group survived some anxious moments before scrambling to a one-wicket victory over Ibsons Group in the 23rd Sharjah Ramadan Tournament at the Sharjah stadium on Wednesday night. Yogi Group, replying to Ibsons' score of 144 all out, needed to dig deep into their reserves of experience to clinch the game with just four balls spare. Shimon led the runs chase with a solid 44 off 48 balls while Salman Faris, who remained not out on 30, and Swapnil Patil (23), the former Mumbai Ranji Trophy player, provided the finishing touches to the victory.

Fayyaz Ahmed had make early inroads into the Yogi Group's innings, taking four wickets for 21 runs along with Tanvir and Ayub Inayat, who both picked up two wickets, but their efforts, in the end, proved in vain. Earlier, Ibsons, put in by Yogi Group, did well to post a healthy score before being all out in 24.3 overs. They had built their innings around Kashif Nisar (24 off 27 balls), Fayyaz Ahmed (20 off 33 balls) and Irfan Sajid (20 off 12 balls).

They could have done even better, but Yogi Group bowlers never allowed them to break loose. Saddam, in particular, bowled well, snaring three wickets for just 12 runs while Ajmal Mohammed and Salman Faris also made their presence felt, sharing three wickets without conceding too many runs. * Agencies