December 15, 2002	Sunday	Shawwal 10, 1423

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LAHORE, Dec 14: An unbeaten 87 runs by Ashraf Bhatti helped Pakistan win the second World Cup Blind Cricket Tournament defeating South Africa by five wickets at Chennai.

Chasing a target of 256 in 40 overs, Pakistan scored the required runs for the loss of five wickets with 2.4 overs to spare. Ashraf slammed five fours and faced 96 balls during a marathon stay of 142 minutes.

Having lost openers Tariq Samuel (14) and Sulman Elahi (10), with only 33 on the scoreboard, Ashraf alongwith key scorers Mohammad Shahbaz (28), Abdul Razzaq (30) and Mohammad Fayyyaz (25 not out), eventually outclassed the South Africans.

Batting first, NA Neyer (59) and RW Liebenberg (51) played well for South Africa, enabling them to reach an impressive total of 255 for 8 in 40 overs.

For Pakistan, captain pacer Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Waqas and Sulman Elahi all claimed two wickets each for 50, 53 and 59 runs, respectively.

Meanwhile President General Pervez Musharraf congratulated the team for winning the World Cup.

“It gives me great pleasure to felicitate you on my behalf and on behalf of the people of Pakistan at this momentous victory. The blind cricketers have won laurels in the past also but this is the first time that they have won the coveted World Cup.

“Special persons in Pakistan have enjoyed great privileges and the sportspersons in particular have been  performing extraordinarily well in Special Olympics and such other international sports events. I am sure the blind cricketers will always keep the country’s flag high and bring more honours for the country in the future,” the president said.