Markhor triumph in nail-biter and remain in contention

Markhor CC came through a nail-biting finish to their Group A match against Limassol Moufflons to win by just two runs and keep their hopes alive in the 2022 CCA #BAOGroup T20 Cup.

Playing at the Ypsonas ground on Sunday, Markhor knew that only a win would give them any chance of reaching the next phase of the competition, and they set off with intent by rattling up an impressive 212-5 from their 20 overs.

Opener Zeeshan Ahmad carried his bat for 110 not out from 68 balls, and was well supported in an unbroken sixth wicket stand of 83 by Salamat Ali (31 not out).

Despite losing their first five wickets cheaply, Limassol Moufflons made a spirited attempt to chase the runs. Three batsmen made half centuries – Asad Ali (62), Gaganpreet Singh (61) and Gurwinder Singh (58), but the team was all out off the penultimate ball of the match for 210.

Zeeshan Ahmad followed his century by taking 3 wickets for 37, and his team now need to win their last match this Sunday against Royal CC to qualify for the super-6 stage.

In Group B, Amdocs assured themselves of fourth place by beating Kings XI Punjab by 6 wickets. The Punjabi team, who have struggled a bit in their first season in the league, but have persevered and completed all their fixtures, lost 8 wickets in setting a target of 145, with opener Sukhjinder Singh top-scoring on 46. For Amdocs Vimal Khanduri took 4-16 and Arjun Pasoriya 3-33.

The Amdocs openers almost settled the match by themselves, Preetaj Deol making 50 and Gaurav Singh remaining till the end on 77 not out. Four wickets fell suddenly but skipper Chaitas Shah helped to finish the job in the 14th over for a comfortable victory.

The last two group-stage matches will be played on Sunday at Ypsonas, after which the competition will take a break while the Cyprus national teams plays in Finland in the World T20 qualifying event. After that there will be a super-6 playoff for the top two teams in each group to determine the 2022 champions. The teams in the super-6s will be Black Caps, Cyprus Moufflons, Punjab Lions, Sri Lanka Lions, Napa Kings plus either Riyaan or Markhor.