RIYADH — Twenty matches were played on the opening day of the Riyadh Cricket Association-organized American Express T20 Cup here recently. RCA Patron Mohammed Anwar Mohammed was at hand to inaugurate the 2013-14 season. He appreciated the efforts of RCA Executive Committee in promoting cricket in the capital city. He also thanked Patron-in-Chief Prince General Dr. Abdulaziz Bin Nasser Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud for supporting the sport in the Kingdom. In the Al-Kharj Zone, CKK beat KFSH Blues by 4 wickets. KFSH Blues' batting lineup collapsed against some disciplined bowling by CKK and it could manage only 129 runs. Irshad remained unbeaten on 69. Imran, Wahid and Moazzam grabbed two wickets each. CKK achieved the target in 17.5 overs. Zahid (38), Imran (24) and Nouman (22) were the main scorers. Irshad claimed 2 wickets. In another match, Pak Shaheen beat Shuraim by 24 runs. Batting first, Pak Shaheen scored 259. Abdul Wahab blasted 162 off 58 balls. Ibrar added 44. Shuraim, in reply, was restricted to 236. Bakhti made 49, Zeeshan 39, Mudasir 38 and Waqas 36. Abuzar picked up two wickets. Another match saw Amir Holidays get the better of Punjab Lions by 2 wickets. Taking the strike first, Punjab Lions scored 214. Fayyaz hit 81 and Taj 58. Wajid and Ayaz took 2 wickets each. Amir Holidays achieved the target in 18.3 overs. Shahbaz hammered 91, Sajid added 42 and Samiullah 41. Lahore Badshah beat Stallions by 5 wickets. Stallions batted first and scored 194. Junaid made 67, Imran Iqbal 36 and Imran Younous 29. Tariq took 2 wickets. Lahore Badshah chased the target in 18.3 overs with contributions from Adnan 44, Asif 38 and Fakhar 33. Amir took 2 wickets. In the Huraymala Zone, Al-Momen International School defeated Green Bangla by 18 runs. Al-Momen put on 193 runs. Safdar scored 62, Tanveer 43 and Zahid 38. Green Bangla could manage only 175. Saeed grabbed 3 wickets. Lahore Cricket Club (LCC) beat Pak Eagles by 44 runs. Batting first, LCC made 206. Ramzan scored 85 and Owais 63. Adnan took 2 wickets. Pak Eagles was restricted to 162 in reply. Mohsin made 67 and Altaf 58. Jahangir took 3 wickets, while Naeem picked up 2. Royal Academy of Cricket (RAC) beat Yusafzai CC by 43 runs. RAC put on 219. Tauseef held the innings together with a fine innings of 86. Raza added 46 and Shafiq 31. Usman picked up 3 wickets, while Kifayat and Yasir claimed 2 each. Yusafzai was all out for 176. Kifayat scored 56 and Usman 31. Saleem bagged 3 wickets, while Nisar, Hameed and Raza picked up 2 each. Riyadh Fighters beat Sulaiman-XI by 5 wickets. Sulaiman-XI, batting first, scored 150. Arshad took 3 wickets, while Nusrat and Yassir claimed 2 each. Riyadh Fighters achieved the target in 17.2 overs. Hameed scored 52 and Imran Butt 48. KFSH Green beat Pak Force in another match played in the zone. In the Riyadh Zone, Lahore Badshah Green edged Kashmir-XI by 2 runs. LB Green scored 189. Zeeshan made 42 and Jahangir 41. Shabir took 4 wickets. Kashmir-XI, in reply, could manage only 187. Shabir made 54, Azhar 46 and Nissar 40. Jahangir took 2 wickets. In other Riyadh Zone matches TBCC beat Majlis-e-Pakistan by 7 runs; Pakistan Falcons thrashed Delhi Dare Devils by 89 runs; Kingdom Warriors beat AKCC by 6 wickets; Royal Strikers beat Imran-XI by 3 runs; Pakistani Strikers beat Nouman Gymkhana by 25 runs; Grundfos defeated Punjab Stars by 5 wickets; and Friends-XI beat Rawdah Heats by 7 wickets.
