Serendib Lankans make their mark
View(s):Serendib Cricket Club, an all-Sri Lankan cricket outfit competing in the Riyadh Cricket Association League (RCAL) in Saudi Arabia has managed to reach the final of the competition. 
This achievement according to its skipper Imran Saleem is an extraordinary feat as this has been their first competitive season since forming the club.
“We are competing in a Twenty20 tournament among many other teams who mainly formed by Pakistanis and Indians. We are the first and only all-Sri Lankan team in the RCAL. This is our first year in this league and we’ve reached finals within the third season of tournament as well. It’s a great honour and pride for all Sri Lankans living here,” Saleem noted.
Serendib CC formed in 2010 braces their motto as ‘Victory through unity’ and remains unbeaten up to now. They practice at least twice a week to play once a week in the tournament which is played on cement wickets and outfields made from rolled gravel or soil. With hard practice and dedication from the players, Saleem, the founder and captain of the side further added that Serendib has turned out to be a top contender to win this year’s RCAL among 21 teams.
In the ongoing RCAL league, Serendib beat Lahore Badshah Greens by 4 wickets in the semi-final as they qualified to reach the final where they are pitted to play against Pakistan Force. In the first semi-final Serendib chased 188 runs in 19.2 overs to record a thrilling win against the Badshah Greens. Fiyaz Hamza of the winning team snatched the man-of-the-match award for his prolific knock of 99 not out after picking two useful wickets.
The second semi-final which was played between Pakistan Force and Punjab Stars was won by the former by 4 wickets. The winners after batting first piled up 220 in 20 overs but to their surprise the eventual losers came close to winning the game and fell short of the target by just four runs. The RCAL which is managed by Saudi Cricket Centre is conducted under the authority of Asian Cricket Council with the blessings of the ICC. – NA
Follow @timesonlinelk
comments powered by Disqus