Academy Boys thrash Burhani

High-Flying Academy Boys cricketers clobbered Annadil Burhani A by six wickets in a one-sided Division A match of the Dar es Salaam Regional Cricket Committee (DRCC) league played at the losers’ venue over the weekend.

Burhani put below par performance in both batting and bowling and it came as no surprise when the well-drilled Academy Boys handed them the heaviest defeat in the country’s top flight league.

The losers lacked guts to stage any meaningful challenge throughout the match and the contest was virtually over as soon as Academy Boys’ innings came to a close.

Academy Boys started batting and went on to score 247 runs for the loss of four wickets in the allotted 50 overs.

The winning team’s batsmen were mercilessly cracking balls at every gap to garner substantial number of runs.

Skipper Kassim Nassoro led by example when he nailed scintillating 97 runs while Benson Mwita surpassed a half century mark of unbeaten 52 runs for the winning side.

Nassoro was close to notching the first century in the league but his attempt was frustrated by Burhani fielder Abdulqadir Dossajee with just one over remaining.

The diminutive batsman needed only three runs to reach three-digit score and attempted a boundary off a delivery by Burhani’s Hatim Kakal, but he was caught by Dossajee at midwicket.

There was more impressive displays with the bat from Issa Kikasi (32 runs), Athuman Siwa (24 runs) and Michael Kepha (23 runs) who ensured their side was in total control of the innings right up to the end.

Burhani’s Mustafa Suleimanji took two wickets as team mates Kakal and Huzeifa Hrithik had a wicket apiece.

Burhani would hardly chase the target during their turn and they eventually were all out after mere 52 runs in 25.1 overs.

Middle order batsman Abbas had 13 runs and Dossajee had four runs to end as the only batsmen who managed a few knocks in the torrid afternoon.

The rest of the batting order could not offer any support as Academy Boys bowlers tormented them almost at will.

Pace bowler Mwita turned in pulsating performance with the ball to take seven wickets while spinners Nassoro and Harsh Ramaiya had two and one wickets respectively, for Academy Boys.