The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Hyderabad Heroes looks to seal title

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Hyderabad Heroes looks to seal title

Principal Correspondent

HYDERABAD: The Edelweiss 20s Challenge cricket championship (ICL) evokes excitement even to an ordinary fan as was evident on Saturday at the Lal Bahadur Stadium, the venue of the second final between Lahore Badshahs and Hyderabad Heroes on Sunday.

The sold-out boards at the ticket counters are a clear indication that a capacity crowd will be there to cheer the local Heroes.

Hyderabad’s Assistant Coach, Abdul Azeem, said: “We came back strongly after a dismal start, especially after the humiliating loss to Lahore Badshahs.” Fresh from the sensational win over Badshahs in the first final on Friday in Punchkula, the Hyderabad think-tank is creating strategies for yet another win to lift the trophy.

Desperate

On the other hand, Lahore Badshahs will be desperate to clinch a victory and extend the issue into the third final scheduled here on Monday.

Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq’s body language in the closing stages of the first final when Lahore Badshahs was losing is a reminder that the team was not as invincible as it was in the league phase. He has to lead from the front on Sunday after aggregating 122 runs from eight matches so far. The top-scorers for his team are Imran Nazir (244) and Hassan Raza (214) and the leading wicket-takers are Azhar Mehmood (13) and leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed (10).

Useful contributions

Hyderabad Heroes got into winning ways primarily due to useful contributions from almost every player at important stages. “We don’t have big stars, but every player in the team is complementing each other. Our strategy is pretty simple. Stick to the basics and play a tension-free game,” Azeem said.

Abdur Razzaq is the highest wicket-taker so far with 17 wickets, while the likes of Nicky Boje (157), Justin Kemp (186), Jimmy Maher (215) and A.T. Rayudu (226) have been chipping in with useful contributions.

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