By Richard Boxall
Nicosia Tigers and Moufflons qualified for the final of the 2023 CCA BAOFinancial T20 Cup by winning contrasting semi final matches at Ypsonas on Sunday.
The Tigers beat Sri Lankan CC by 5 wickets in a low-scoring encounter, before Moufflons and Markhor put on a run feast which Moufflons won by 23 runs.
Only Prasad Suranga, with 67 from 36 balls including 6 sixes, stood in the way of the Tigers bowlers, as the Sri Lankans were restricted to a modest 144-8. Aminul Islam, Umar Farooq and Waqas Akhtar were particularly economical while also picking up wickets, and both opening batsmen were victims of run-outs.
The Tigers wasted no time in knocking off the runs with almost 7 overs to spare, despite Buddika Ranasinghe’s 3-13 from 4 overs. The other bowlers were cannon fodder for Waqas Akhtar (57) and Rasedul Hasan (31) as Tigers cruised to a comfortable win.
The second semi-final produced the high scoring usually seen at this batsman-friendly ground. Moufflons set the tone by amassing 256-7, led by Atta Ulla (70 in 26 balls, with 6 sixes and 8 fours), Zeeshan Ahmad (57) and Gurdeep Sharma (30 in 10 balls). There were four separate 50-plus partnerships in the innings, which must have been quite dispiriting for the bowlers, of whom Tasawar Gujjar did best with figures of 3-39.
Markhor made a commendable effort to chase their formidable target. Shahzad Ahmed made 50, Hamza Rehman 42, Awais Ahmad 31 and skipper Malik Amir Sohail an unbeaten 36, but the task was just too much and they finished on 233-7. Moufflons’ main bowler Waqar Ali again proved his worth with 2-31 from his four overs, good figures in a match where batsmen were generally on top.
Before the final takes place, the Cyprus national team travels to the Czech Republic next weekend for a three-way tournament also involving the host nation and Greece. This is the start of a busy period for the Cyprus team, who also have matches later this year in Spain and Malta to look forward to.
The T20 final will take place on Sunday 6 August at Ypsonas cricket ground.