KARACHI: Advance Telecom lifted the 32nd Karachi Gymkhana Omar Associates Ramazan Cricket Festival cricket crown when they dethroned Tapal CC by 31 runs in the final played at the Karachi Gymkhana Ground here on Saturday.

Batting first after skipper Jamal Anwar won the toss, Advance Telecom collected 144-7 in the stipulated 20 overs with opener Sahibzada Farhan scoring 45. The opener’s 49-ball innings included a brace of sixes and as many boundaries.

Tailenders Mohammad Irfan (18 of 12 balls, one six and one four) and Sadaqat Ali (21 off six balls, three sixes) added useful runs in an unbroken partnership of 42.

Off-spinner Nasir Awais claimed three wickets for 19 runs in four tidy overs while Hafiz Asad Baig’s occasional off-spin secured him two wickets for 20 runs.

Tapal CC, in reply, suffered a spectacular collapse as they nosedived from 54-3 to 67-7 before being eventually dismissed for 113 in 19 overs.

Shaharyar Ghani was the main run-getter. The left-hander struck three sixes and two fours his 37-ball knock of 47, while Daniyal Ahsan contributed 28 off 25 deliveries with the aid of five boundaries.

After his batting heroics, Sadaqat starred with his slow left-armers to grab three wickets for just 12 runs in four overs with left-arm paceman Zia-ul-Haq, fellow seamer Ali Shafiq and occasional off-spinner Rameez Aziz taking two wickets apiece.

Later Karachi Gymkhana president Fawad Salim Malik presented the winners’ trophy and cash award of Rs700,000 to Advance Telecom skipper Jamal Anwar at a graceful ceremony which was attended by Quetta Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar, Altaf Agha, Jam Nafees and Abbas Valika, Akhtar Munir, Tehsin Feroz and S.M. Sameer.

Tapal CC captain Owais Ahmed Rehmani received the runners-up trophy and Rs350,00, while losing semi-finalists Dollar East and New Al-Habib CC bagged Rs50,000 each.

Among individual prizes, Sadaqat Ali was declared man-of-the-match in the final. Tapal CC’s Hafiz Asad Baig got Rs25,000 after being declared player-of-the-tournament.

The best batsman award went to Mukhtar Ahmed of Advance Telecom, Abdul Qadir of Mohammad Hussain CC was given the best bowler prize, the best fielder award was given to Karachi Gymkhana’s Haider Ali while Owais was adjudged the competition’s best wicket-keeper.

Summarised scores:

ADVANCE TELECOM 144-7 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 45, Sadaqat Ali 21 not out, Mohammad Irfan 18 not out; Nasir Awais 3-19, Hafiz Asad Baig 2-20); TAPAL CC 113 in 19 overs (Shaharyar Ghani 47, Daniyal Ahsan 28; Sadaqat Ali 3-12, Zia-ul-Haq 2-13, Ali Shafiq 2-30).

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2017