Rizvi Springfield beats Al Barkat High School to win the Elite Group Giles Shield title
Rizvi Springfield and Al Barkat High School faced off against each other in the Elite Group final of Giles Shield. It was a four day match that was played between 22nd March and 25th March at Oval Maidan, Mumbai.
On day one, batting first, Al Barkat was bundled out for 117 in 69.3 overs, thanks to Amanullah Manihar (4-20) and Aziz Nabeel (4-39), who bowled exceptionally well. The spin twins entangled the Al Barkat batting line-up, not allowing them to score freely. Al Barkat had a disappointing day one with the bat. Apart from Dashrath Chavan (28) and Nabijaan Ansari (23), none of the other batsmen looked in shape. Rizvi Springfield came in to bat at the close of first day and finished off with 29-1 in six overs.
On day two, Rizvi went on to score 225 in 69.3 overs, leading by 108 runs. Ajit Yadav (97) was spectacular with the bat and was unfortunate to miss out on a well-deserved century. Abhinav Singh (29) and Abhinav Khushwaha (24) also chipped in with the willow for Rizvi. First with the bat and then with the ball, Dashrath Chavan shined as he picked up 3-23 in his 11 overs. Gaurav Mhatre also picked up a couple of wickets giving away 35 runs in 12 overs. In their second innings, Al Barkat made 25-1 in 17 overs.
On day three, trailing by 108 runs, Al Barkat posted 260-6 in 107 overs. Dashrath Chavan again proved his mettle when he scored 67 off 168 balls, smacking nine boundaries. Ansari Nabijaan fell shy of just one run to complete his half century. Aakash Tripathi (22), Gaurav Mhatre (35*) and Raj Rocky (31*) made some useful contributions with the bat. Manihar Amanullah and Ajit Yadav grabbed two wickets and one wicket respectively. Al Barkat was ahead with 152 runs.
On the final day, Al Barkat declared their innings for 286-9, setting up a target of 179 runs to win for Rizvi. Rocky Raj finished off with 42 runs and Gaurav Mhatre with 38 runs. Rizvi achieved the target in 67.3 and won the match by three wickets. Abhinav Singh (35), southpaw Ajit Yadav (29), Shreyansh Mandlik (24) and Shaikh Al Saad (29*) helped Rizvi to beat the target. Mansoori M.Saud picked up 3-55 and Aakash Tripathi 2-37 in the second innings.
Rizvi dominated the game right from the start and deserved to win the Elite Group Giles Shield title.
