ACES Cricket Club's first-choice squad has enjoyed a formidable run in the 2024 Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA) Delaware Champions League, with several gifted cricketers having played a part in the achievement.

The TCA-organized tournament, involving Division A clubs, is one of the high-profile club events seeking to efficiently develop cricket locally.

The first-choice outfit, also known as Aces A, was on Sunday scheduled to confront Pak Stars A in the tournament's final at the Annadil Burhani Oval in Dar es Salaam.

Talented cricketer Hamza Ally is one of the players who have significantly contributed to Aces A's achievement in the tournament, thanks to his stellar showing in various outings.

Ally is lately, however, forced to battle for an opportunity to play, with so many professionals coming to the club from time to time.

All senior cricketers have, the club's founder and senior cricketer Azim Thakur stated, motivated Ally to step up his performance.

They include Arun Yadav and Prathamesh Chavan, one of the newly recruited cricketers at Aces Cricket Club.

Thakur revealed that a seasoned cricketer from Punjab, India Abhishek Kumar, is Ally's new mentor in Aces A outfit.

Before joining Aces Cricket Club, Kumar was participating in the Nava Shehr District cricket tournament in India.

Kumar has played in the same team as Indian player Abhishek Sharma in the Punjab Premier League.

The cricketer is lately closing in on featuring in the acclaimed Ranji Trophy tournament in Punjab State.

The seasoned cricketer is reputed for scoring big centuries.

His experience and presence make a huge difference in Aces Cricket Club, which is determined to effectively play a part in cricket promotion in Tanzania.

Aces A, which has experienced frustrating spells this year, having earlier failed to play in any of the knockout stages of club tournaments, is finally eyeing a piece of silverware to grandly end the year.

Thakur stated that he always believes in local talent and is keen on promoting them.

One of Ally's memorable showings in the TCA Delaware Champions League was in view when Aces A locked horns with Pak Stars A at the Leaders Club venue on November 24.

Matches bringing together Aces A and Pak Stars A are usually encounters between familiar foes.

They are clubs that have developed a thrilling rivalry in Dar es Salaam cricket.

In most cases, Aces A has had the upper hand when coming up against Pak Stars A, but lately, the latter has been putting up a sensible fight.

Aces A usually performs as a team and delivers, but when the squad confronted Pak Stars A in the TCA Delaware Champions League, the clash was awesome.

The duel that brought together the two teams was viewed as the game of the tournament.

Amassing more than 180 runs was a challenge that both teams could not accomplish in the clash.

Pak Star A started extremely well in both batting and bowling but, as the saying goes, cricket is about temperament.

Pak Stars A were a bit cautious and smart when they took the crease, but then, the Aces A prodigy, Ally, came in and pinned the best hitters in domestic cricket quite well.

Pak Stars A did not take their chances when it mattered, and as Aces A's top bowlers had already been exhausted, Ally was brought to do the cover-up. 

Ally put on a tremendous bowling show. With seasoned performers Zamoyoni Ramadhan and Zafar Khan batting at both ends for Pak Stars A, the Aces A prodigy contained the duo.

Ally grabbed 2-19 in his four overs, as Pak Stars A concluded their innings with 152/4 in the scheduled 20 overs.

In response, the Asif Butt-led Aces A mounted a solid chase, dropping five wickets in 18.5 overs and grabbing the win.

Pak Stars A bowled well in the first six overs- with Aces A notching 19 runs for the loss of two wickets, and they dropped the third wicket in the eighth over.

Aces A - needing more than 110 runs in 12 overs to come out victorious - banked on Zimbabwean Aisah Chibanda and Kumar who hit Pak Stars A bowlers hard.

Chibanda - known for hitting big shots, did his job solidly, and when he got out, Kumar toyed with the bowling unit of Pak Stars A.

The cricketer resorted to knocking drives, which turned out to be classy.

Kumar displayed a clean game and showed how to help his team chase and close the game.

His innings have motivated the youngsters in his team to be calm and collected in the chase.

Coming and bowling against seasoned cricketers Khan and Ramadhan in small boundaries, said a lot about Ally’s competence.

Putting on the same spirited showing against equally experienced duo of Delaware Upanga SC A's Sanjay Bom and Ramesh Alluri, when Aces A faced the outfit, once again talks volumes concerning Ally’s growth.

The in-form Ally wounded up his three overs with two wickets, conceding 22 runs and a 7.33 economy rate, helping Aces A outfit garner a 24-run victory.

Thakur noted that credit should duly go to Aces Cricket Club management and its ongoing Academy Future initiative, which targets to support efforts to develop cricket domestically.