Malta Cricket weekend review

On Saturday Queen’s Park won the toss and elected to bat first. After a shaky start Mahmood Khan and Ayaz Hussain both made thirty seven runs before getting bowled and caught respectively.

Jay Macleod played a gem of an innings and made fifty three runs and was unfortunately run out. Amran Nawaz chipped in with fourteen runs towards the end of their innings. The visitors totalled 195 runs from their forty overs. For Marsa Andy Naidi was the main wicket taker with three while Sarfraz Ali took two.

In reply the Marsa team had a slightly shaky start. Mark G.Sacco then put on sixteen runs, Javed Shah forty runs, Dave Borg twenty one runs,Joy Ghoseroy twenty runs, Ronnie Sacco thirteen runs and Andy Naudi fifteen runs.

The game came down to the last over with the in form batsmen at the non strikers end Tim Wheeler who was on thirty seven runs and the home side needing four runs to win. A wide was bowled and the batsmen tried to take a run and unfortunately Wheeler was run out and also ended the game, he being the last wicket to fall.

For the visitors Imran Khan and Abid Hussain both took two wickets being the main wicket takers. Queen’s Park go one up in the series.

On Sunday the Marsa team batted first. A magnificent innings from Frank Spiteri making eighty three runs including nine fours and a six should have encouraged his fellow batsmen towards a high score. Only Chris Naudi (sixteen runs), Andy Naudi(fifteen runs) and Bikram Arora (thirty runs) were able to make it to double figures.

The home side scored 173 runs. This time the visitors had a good start coming from Abid Hussain(fifteen runs), Zan Riasat (thirty three runs) and Amran Nawaz (twenty two runs). Four wickets then fell for leas than twenty runs. In came Tajub Hussain (thirty three runs) and Towhhead Hussein (nineteen runs) and guided there team to victory with three and a half overs to spare. Queen’s Park go two nil up in the series with one more game to be played on Tuesday, a twenty over game starting at 2:00pm.

Next Saturday a Malta Select XI will take on a Combined XI starting at 10:30am. In the morning the academy will be from 9:00 till 10:30 am.