SFS secured a semi-final place and champion side the Danube Lions retained its 100 per cent record in the last round of Super Six matches in the Ramadan Indoor Cricket Tournament at the ICC Academy at Dubai Sports City.

SFS beat Radio 4 by 23 runs to seal third spot in the Super Six table and Danube finished the second stage at the head of affairs after a comfortable 75-run win over HSBC.

The matches also confirmed the line-up for the semi-finals with Danube facing Oxford Marine, which sealed fourth spot thanks both to its late rally – winning its final two matches in the Super Six stage – and also Radio 4’s loss to SFS.

The other semi-final sees DBMSC Steel, which finished second in the Super Six stage with four wins and a one-run loss to Danube, up against SFS, a side that secured three wins in that second phase of the tournament, including the success against Radio 4.

Radio 4 (one win from five matches) and HSBC (without a Super six win) are the ones to miss out on semi-final places.

For Radio 4 it means heartache for a second successive year as it was eliminated at the Super Six stage last year too while, for HSBC, it is a case of taking the positives and the experience away from a first time at this stage of the tournament.

SFS’s latest win was founded on a stunning display with the ball and in the field after it appeared to have made a slightly under-par total batting first.

SFS scored 50, with just four runs coming from the final three overs of its innings.

But having under-achieved with the bat, it was a different story for SFS when it came to defending the total as its players tore into action against a Radio 4 side lacking in confidence after three successive losses.

The broadcasters lost two wickets from the first two deliveries of their innings and three in the first over and from then on the task was simply too great for Radio 4.

That opening over for SFS was bowled by Danish and he, rightly, was named player of the match for turning the game in favour of his side, eventually finishing with the remarkable figures of three wickets for minus six runs.

Danube’s win over HSBC, its eighth in a row in this year’s tournament, was founded on excellent work in the field and with the ball as HSBC, batting first, lost 13 wickets and struggled to a total of minus three runs.

In reply, Danube got off to a flying start with Kamal and Isuru scoring 16 apiece as 32 runs were added in the first three overs.

The Lions could even afford an uncharacteristic wobble in the final three overs of the match, losing four wickets and scoring minus six runs in that period, to finish with a total of 72.

Isuru was player of the match, not just for his blazing innings of 16 but also for his bowling as he captured three wickets for minus five runs.

The winners of each pool went forward to a Super Six stage, to be followed by the two semi-final matches – Danube Lions against Oxford Marine and DBMSC Steel versus SFS – and then a Grand Final on Saturday evening, 19 July.