ALLIANCE Caravans' cricketers have stepped up their pursuit of the top honour in the 2024 Petrofuel TCA Caravans T20 Cup tournament, having clobbered Balakrishna Foundation Aces by 64 runs in the Super 4 phase tie in Dar es Salaam last Saturday.

In what turned out to be the opening match of the Super 4 stage of the Petrofuel TCA Caravans Cup, Alliance Caravans, also the tournament hosts, confronted Balakrishna Foundation Aces at the Leaders Club ground.

Opting to field first after winning the toss, Balakrishna Foundation Aces dealt an early blow to Alliance Caravans as the latter's key player, Prakash Nair, was dismissed on just the second ball of the innings with no runs on the scoreboard.

Balakrishna Foundation Aces celebrated jubilantly, seizing the opportunity to assert dominance over their opponents again.

Despite wickets falling regularly, Alliance Caravans' veteran all-rounder Kassim Nassoro provided stability with a resilient 36 runs off 38 deliveries.

Adersh Dileep bolstered the innings with a quickfire 27 runs off 15 balls, nailing three fours, and Ganesh Giri had a good day after posting 21 runs. 

By the end of their 20 overs, Alliance Caravans managed 144/9, with Salum Jumbe, Arun Yadav, and Jatin Prajapati claiming two wickets each for Balakrishna Foundation Aces.

Balakrishna Foundation Aces, having exhibited confidence in their chase, initially celebrated their prospects from the dugout.

However, their optimism was short-lived as Alliance Caravans' bowlers dominated the proceedings. 

Yadav was the top run-getter in the chase with a brisk 25 off 15 deliveries before falling to Alliance Caravans' skipper Akhil Anil, courtesy of a spectacular catch by Dileep.

Alliance Caravans' bowling attack continued to dismantle the Balakrishna Foundation Aces batting unit, dismissing the latter for a mere 80 runs in 16.5 overs.

Nassib Kelvin, Aisah Chibanda, and Ally Mpeka were the other members of the Balakrishna Foundation Aces batting unit that got back to the pavilion with two-digit figures, having scored 13 runs, 12 runs, and 10 runs respectively.

Skipper Anil emerged as the game-changer for Alliance Caravans, claiming four wickets for just six runs in his four-over spell that had seen the performer post the 1.50 economy rate.

Jerry Mathew's three wickets in the clash propelled him to the top of the tournament's wicket-takers list and earned him the Automark Purple Cap.

Anil's exceptional bowling performance earned him the Ras Logistics Man of the Match award, while Dileep's crucial catch was hailed as the Medinova Moment of the Match. 

The tournament is an annual T20 cricket showdown organized by Caravans Cricket Club.

Alliance Caravans, Aurobindo AKSC, Delaware Upanga SC, Balakrishna Foundation Aces, Flashnet Strikers, Park Mobile Lions, Harab Motors Pak Stars, Econo Lodge Lions, Azania Bank Pak Stars, and Generics Gymkhana are taking part in the showdown.

Petrofuel is the title sponsor of this tournament. Other sponsors of this tournament include Alliance Insurance, Ras Logsitics, Medinova Healthcare, Automark, Pepsi, Ashton Media, MFI-Vertiv, Jiuzhou, SmarDTV, Intek-Korea, ASAS, Colourflex, and Delaware.

Aurobindo, Balakrishna Foundation, Park Mobile, Harab Motors, Flashnet, Generics, Econo Lodge, Azania Bank, Horizon Teleports, TATA, The Works, MO Bajaj, and Seacliff Hotel are also the showpiece's sponsors.