KARACHI: Omar Associates and Lahore Lions booked a date for the final of the 5th National Veterans Cup T20 Cricket Tournament by outplaying their respective rivals in the semi-finals played in Lahore on Saturday.

Omar Associates demonstrated their bowling prowess by restricting Askari Greens to 123 for seven in the stipulated 20 overs with only Saleem Raza batting well for his 45 off 35 balls containing one six and four fours.

Left-arm spinner Yahya Toor (3-19) was the pick of the bowlers with Kamil Khan, Sagheer Abbas and Sajid Ansari being the other wicket-takers.

Sajid Ali’s unbeaten 74 off 49 balls, punctuated with one six and 13 fours, allowed Omar Associates to overhaul the target with ease. He added 101 for the second wicket with Ashraf Pakhali who made 29 off 19 balls.

In the other match, skipper Ghaffar Kazmi, with a fantastic all-round performance, played the lead role in guiding Lahore Lions to victory over Amar Cables.

Electing to bat first, Lahore Lions posted a formidable total of 228 for one in the allotted 20 overs. Ghaffar Kazmi struck five sixes and 14 fours in his unbeaten 102 off 40 balls while opener Dastagir Butt hammered two sixes and 11 fours in his unbeaten 87 off 51 balls as their unbroken second wicket stand yielded 144 runs.

Chasing a target of 229 in 20 overs, Amar Cables lost a couple of wickets early. Their hopes were revived briefly by Tariq Siddiqui who blasted four sixes and six fours in his 71 off 42 balls but Ghaffar Kazmi’s off-spin, fetching him four wickets for 31 runs in four overs, ensured a comfortable victory for Lahore Lions.

The tournament, contested by cricketers of over 50 years of age, is being organised by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA).

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2015

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