Minhaj win Spanish Crown and Complete ECL line-up

Minhaj CC of Barcelona have won the Spanish national title and will represent Spain at this year’s European Cricket League. Minhaj beat La Manga Torrevieja CC 2-1 in a three-match T10 series on Sunday.

The national finals were played as a best-of-three T10 series between the defending champions of the East Coast and Central League (ECCL) and Catalan leagues. La Manga Torrevieja won the ECCL in autumn of 2020. The 2020 Catalan league was suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions halfway through the season. Therefore, 2019 Catalan and Spanish national champions Minhaj represented the Catalan region in the final.

The final took place at the Montjuïc Olympic baseball ground, Barcelona to coincide with the ongoing ECS series at the venue. The visitors got off to a positive start by winning the opening game. Batting first, La Manga posted an imposing 95-8 in their 10 overs. Minhaj took the game to the final ball but ultimately lost by 6 runs. The hosts performed better in the 2^nd game, chasing down 85 to win with three overs to spare and set up a decider. La Manga would again bat first in the 3^rd match but could only post 74-6. Minhaj proved themselves worthy winners, chasing down the target with 7 wickets and 8 balls to spare. Jafar Iqbal and Khalid Mehmood were the stars for Minhaj, with 69 runs and 7 wickets across the 3 games, respectively.

Minhaj will represent Spain at the 2021 ECL, become the 16^th and final team to qualify. With the draw already being complete, Minhaj will play in Group A between 31^st May and 4^th June. They will play fixtures against Dreux CC of France, Brescia CC from Italy, FCA04 Darmstadt of Germany, and Swardeston CC from England.

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