Crowe claims auditor's cricket cup in Oman with win over Deloitte

Crowe has claimed the 2019 Auditor’s Cricket Cup in Oman, chasing down Deloitte in the final with more than an over to spare.

The squad from Crowe in Oman has emerged victorious in the local Auditor’s Cricket Cup for 2019, defeating Deloitte in the final after eliminating defending champion Ernst & Young in their semi-final match-up. Held toward the end of last year, the annual cricketing tournament in Oman brought together teams from the local auditing realm, with KPMG, PwC, Grant Thornton and Moore also participants.

Failing to make the knock-out stage last year, Crowe this year qualified for the semis alongside Big Four members KPMG, Deloitte and EY following a round-robin league – and easily accounted for the latter in the semi after EY had taken the hotly-contested trophy for the past four consecutive years. Chasing a total 50, Crowe reached the target within their six-over allotment for the loss of just one wicket.

The victory set up a decider against Deloitte (which in posting a total of 51 had beaten last year’s finalist KPMG by 15 runs in the other semi-final) with Crowe, winning the toss and electing to bowl, this time set a target of 52 to win. Again, the total would prove insufficient, with Crowe cruising to a comfortable victory without loss and with 7 balls to spare – a dominant display to deliver the firm its first ever cup.

Fittingly, Crowe captain Balakrishnan Nair was awarded man of the tournament for his all-round performance (taking the mantle from EY’s Omar Sarfraz, who last year managed to whack six sixes from six balls in the semi), with colleague Aditya Iyer adjudged the best bowler of the tournament and Deloitte’s Abdul Ahad declared the top batsman. A large crowd of supporters watched the event.

Madly followed across the Indian subcontinent and in former British colonies such as Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, the sport of cricket is beginning to gain traction in smaller nations with the advent of the short-form game, which allows for a somewhat more competitive contest against the traditional powerhouses. Last month, Oman played host to a qualifying pathway for the 2023 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Oman’s men’s team will participate in this year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia, after qualifying for the group stage alongside other emerging nations Papua New Guinea, Namibia and Scotland. It will be their second appearance following a surprise win over Ireland at the 2016 tournament, although they failed to reach the main stage. Last year, the team also gained One-Day International status for the first time.