The European Cricket Network live broadcasts the 2020 European Cricket Series Malmo semi-final encounter between Malmöhus CC and Ariana AKIF.
Tune in to the live action Friday from 9:30am CEST * 8:30am UK * 7:30am GMT * 1pm IST from the Limhamnsfältet Cricket Ground in Malmo.
Team Preview for Malmöhus CC
Malmöhus CC were unbeaten in their four group matches, but not without pulling out one or two Houdini-esque performances! They face a very stern obstacle to the Gold Final in the form of Ariana AKIF.
Captain Main Wicketkeeper: Narendar Madhavan
Main Wicketkeeper: Ankit Gupta
Key Players:
Rizwan Ashraf won a game off his own bat earlier in the week. Of his 90 runs in the tournament, 60 of them have been in maximos! His strike rate of 214 tells you that the game isn’t over if this man is still at the crease.
Ankit Gupta has done a tidy job behind the wickets this week and has also chipped in with some useful runs for his team.
Dheeraj Malhotra is Malmöhus’s leading run scorer with 104 of them this week and has also picked up three wickets. His teammates will be relying on another solid all-round performance from him.
Ashish Rajput has five wickets this week at a pretty useful economy rate of 7.23. He has a big job on his hands, keeping the Ariana AKIF hitters from getting on top.
Team Preview for Ariana AKIF
Ariana AKIF would have topped Group B if not for a heartstopping Golden Ball finish against their arch-rivals Ariana CC. As a result, they ended up in 2nd place after the group stage and into this showdown with Malmöhus CC for a chance to play in the tournament decider..
Captain & Main Wicketkeeper: Hardeep Virk
Key Players:
Debarchan Dash is a class batsman and the leading run scorer this week in Malmo with 149. He seemed a bit out of sorts on Thursday morning, but his tournament strike rate of 240 shows he isn’t going too bad! He will open and hope to get Ariana AKIF off to a very positive start.
Naser Baluch has really impressed me with his all-round talents and the energy that he brings to the game. He is second in the tournament for runs scored (behind Dash). In a remarkable statistic, he has hit 16 sixes but no fours! He can also genuinely swing the cricket ball at a slippery pace and I think this could be an effective weapon against Malmöhus.
Oktai Gholami was in the thick of it on Thursday, taking the first hat trick of the tournament and also delivered the Golden Ball against Ariana CC. This guy is a drama magnet!
Khaled Mohammad is Dash’s opening partner. He normally plays more of a supporting role but we saw him play more attacking strokes on Thursday. I find it somewhat amusing that they are always trying to hide him in the field, but the ball always seems to follow him!
Mr Maximo’s tip: ARIANA AKIF
Well I’m up to 15 consecutive correct predictions so this one is for my Sweet Sixteen! Ariana AKIF will be feeling more sour than sweet after a heartbreaking fumble against their nemesis Ariana CC saw them miss out on topping the group. Although I wouldn’t put it past Malmöhus to pull another rabbit out of the hat, I think Ariana AKIF have superior depth and bowling strength and so I believe that they will win this first semi-final, setting up a potential rematch with Ariana CC in the Gold Final. What a game that would be to watch! Don’t miss a minute, Friday on the European Cricket Network.
