Blitzers and Braves make final of ILT20 Development Tournament

DUBAI: The ILT20 Development Tournament ends with the Blitzers taking on the Braves in the final at the ICC Academy Oval 1 on Tuesday night — with 13 spots for UAE players up for grabs to compete in the DP World ILT20 season two.

In the first semifinal played on Monday, the Blitzers overwhelmed the Pearls by eight wickets in a one-sided affair. The Blitzers won the toss and asked the Pearls to bat first. The Pearls’ batters failed to get going as wickets were lost at regular intervals. Fast bowler Matiullah Khan, who won player of the match, made regular inroads, taking three wickets for 23, with Muhammad Zubair Khan providing him adequate support with two for 26.

Lovepreet Singh top-scored for the Pearls with 45 off 34 balls (four fours and one six), and Abdul Shakoor scored 22.

In reply, the Blitzers completed the chase with 22 balls to spare. Openers Kamran Atta (44 off 35, two fours, two sixes) and Usman Khan (43 off 25, eight fours, one six) took the attack to the Pearls’ bowlers who failed to make inroads. Aryan Lakra scored 35 as the Blitzers booked their spot in the final with consummate ease.

The Braves got the better of the Marvels in the second semifinal. Batting first, Asif Khan’s (player of the match) scintillating 73 off 50 (seven fours, three sixes) guided the Braves to a formidable 162 for seven total. Junaid Shamzu provided real fireworks in the death overs with 33 off 14 (one four, three sixes), while Danish Qureshi took three wickets.

In reply, the Marvels were bowled out for 129 in 17.5 overs. Opener Mayank fought hard with a gritty 66 off 42 (six fours, three sixes), and Rahul Chopra scored 32. Abdul Ghaffar took four wickets for 13 in a sensational bowling spell, while Raees Ahmed took three