Omer Peshamam and Kashif Ali starred in an unbeaten 81-run victory to help Arab Unity School register a seven-wicket win against Al Sadiq Islamic School in the final of the Pepsi inter-school cricket tournament championships at Global Village.
Led by skipper Maisam Raza, Arab Unity overcame strong competition in the under-18 league against their opponents. Losing the toss and batting second, Al Sadiq Islamic School could manage to score only 64 runs in 10 overs after facing a powerful bowling performance from Arab Unity.
‘Man of the Match’ Kashif Ali took four crucial wickets and scored a hurricane 36 runs of 12 balls while Omer Peshamam slammed four boundaries with 35 runs, taking Arab Unity to a comfortable win. Bonus 10 runs were added to their existing score for not losing a single wicket.
After scoring the highest number of points in the tournament, Arab Unity coach Mulazam Hussein said the team’s all-round performance was due to their determination to retain the crown.
“From the beginning, we realised it was important for us to stay focused and keep the game in order.This was precisely the kind of win we needed to boost our confidence," Hussein said. ”I am very satisfied with the way the team performed today. The batting, bowling and fielding – it was all so perfect from the beginning.”
Young Amir Iftikhar, also representing the Emirates Cricket Board, won the ‘Man of the Series’ in the under-18 category. Other players taking the same title include Maisam Raza, Omer Peshamam, Kashif Ali and Farhan. Kashif Ali was awarded the ‘Best Bowler’ after taking a total of seven wickets in the cricket series while Maisam Raza was declared the ‘Best Wicket-keeper’.
In the under-15 category, Dubai, Modern High School took the crown after scoring a total of 15 points while Al Sadiq Islamic School took the second place. Mohsen and Shah Rukh were both declared ‘Man of the Match’ for their outstanding performance.
“Both Arab Unity and Dubai Modern High School have kept the audience and supporters engaged throughout the series with their top-notch performance,” said May El-Labban, Key Accounts Manager, Sales and Marketing, Dubai Refreshments Company (DRC), the sole franchisee and distributor of PepsiCo products in Dubai and Northern Emirates.
“We saw some great matches this year with some of the best young talent at the sport fiesta championship. With the overwhelming response we received this year, we hope to take the Sport Fiesta to a higher level next year,” she added.
In partnership with the UAE Schools Federation, Pepsi Sport Fiesta featured 51 teams from various UAE intermediate and high schools in basketball, football and cricket.
For close to half a century, DRC has supported the initiatives launched by the Government of Dubai that have helped firmly establish the emirate as one of the most exciting destinations in the world.
The Pepsi Sports Fiesta is sponsored by Wild Wadi and ETRI.
