KARACHI: Bismah Maroof played a captain’s innings on Friday to help Lahore clinch the ninth Fatima Jinnah Women’s Cricket Championship title with an 18-run victory over arch-rivals Karachi in the weather-hit final in Islamabad.

Lahore, who were chasing 223 at the Diamond Club Ground, had progressed to 190-4 after 43 overs when bad light forced umpires Sumera Aftab and Hajra Sarwar to take the players off the field. Prospects of resumption in play thereafter were within minutes ended by heavy rain in the federal capital.

What should have been a fitting finale between the only unbeaten sides in the event was spoilt by shower which, ironically, stayed away in all matches that preceded the title- decider. Bismah, the Pakistan player, had scored an unbeaten 84 to put Lahore in driving seat while receiving good support from opener Marina Iqbal (41), Sidra Amin and all-rounder Iram Javed.

Bismah, the 23-year-old right-handed batswoman, struck eight boundaries during her 113-ball knock.Marina, who set the tone with a 57-ball 41 which was decorated with five hits to the fence, added 53 for the second wicket with her captain after seeing fellow opener Fareeha Mahmood depart for a laboured 23-ball innings of 4 out of the first-wicket partnership of 28. Sidra then helped Bismah put on exactly 50 for the third wicket. She contributed 20 off 27 deliveries with three fours. Although Aliya Riaz went cheaply Lahore remained in full control as Bismah and Iram (23 off 36 balls, two fours) combined in a 40-run unbroken stand.

Seamer Maham Tariq finished with two wickets for 27 runs in seven overs to emerge as Karachi’s best bowler, while off-spinner Ramin Shamim bowled tidily (0-35 in nine overs) with any reward.

Earlier, Karachi were all out for 222 in the 49th over. Opener Javeria Khan, who had been the batswoman of the championship, slammed seven boundaries in scoring 31 from 27 balls, while outscoring Rabia Shah (9 off 21 balls, one four) in their opening stand of 41.

It was then left to the experienced Nain Abidi to provide a solid contribution with her first major innings in the tournament. The 29-year-old Karachi captain hit 77 off 111 balls with the aid of nine fours and the solitary six of the final.

Karachi suffered a big blow when promising all-rounder Kainat Imtiaz was run out for 12. Javeria Rauf was the only batswoman to play a significant innings. The all-rounder made 34 off 44 balls with three boundaries and shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 62 with Nain.

Iram Javed bowled well with figures of 2-32 in 9.2 overs. Slow left-armer Anam Amin gave little way in taking 1-29 in 10 overs; off-spinner Elizabeth Barkat bagged the prized scalp of Nain while grabbing two wickets for 36 runs in 10 overs. Elizabeth’s fellow off-spinner Hafsa Amjad also picked up two wickets but conceded 53 runs in 10 overs.

Lahore were awarded the winners’ prize of Rs100,000; Karachi received Rs50,000. Javeria Khan (best batswoman), Hyderabad skipperSumaiya Siddiqui (best bowler), over after they put into bat by Bismah. Sidra Amin (best fielder) and Islamabad’s Huma Shafiq (best wicket-keeper) all got Rs10,000 apiece while Bismah collected Rs2,000 for being the player-of-the-final.

KARACHI:

Javeria Khan c Sidra b Iram 31 Rabia Shah c Bismah b Kanwal 9 Nain Abidi b Elizabeth 77 Kainat Imtiaz run out 12 Muniba Ali c Aliya b Elizabeth 14 Javeria Rauf c and b Iram 34 Ramin Shamim c Sidra b Hafsa 4 Shumaila Qureshi c Marina b Hafsa 3 Umaima Sohail c Sidra b Anam 8 Maham Tariq run out 0 Rida Hussain not out 0 EXTRAS (LB-6, W-22, NB-2) 30 TOTAL (all out, 48.2 overs) 222 FALL OF WKTS: 1-41, 2-51, 3-78, 4-118, 5-180, 6-189, 7-202, 8-215, 9-216. BOWLING: Iram Javed 9.2-2-32-2 (2w); Kanwal Francis 3-0-24-1 (1nb, 1w); Nimra Imran 4-0-28-0 (2w); Anam Amin 10-2-29-1 (2w); Hafsa Amjad 10-2-53-2 (3w); Elizabeth Barkat 10-1-36-2 (1w); Bismah Maroof 2-0-14-0 (1nb, 3w).

LAHORE:

Marina Iqbal c and b Rida 41 Fareeha Mahmood c Umaima b Javeria Rauf 4 Bismah Maroof not out 84 Sidra Amin c Kainat b Maham 20 Aliya Riaz c Muniba b Maham 5 Iram Javed not out 23 EXTRAS (LB-1, W-10, NB-2) 13 TOTAL (for four wkts, 43 overs) 190 FALL OF WKTS: 1-28, 2-81, 3-131, 4-150. NOT BAT: Hafsa Amjad, Elizabeth Barkat, Anam Amin, Nimra Imran, Kanwal Francis. BOWLING: Maham Tariq 7-0-27-2 (1w); Shumaila Qureshi 7-1-23-0 (1nb); Javeria Rauf 6-1-26-1 (1w); Ramin Shamim 9-0-35-0; Kainat Imtiaz 7-0-39-0 (1nb, 3w); Rida Hussain 4-0-19-1 (3w); Umaima Sohail 3-0-20-0 (2w). RESULT: Lahore won by 18 runs (/D/L Method). UMPIRES: Sumera Aftab and Hajra Sarwar. MATCH REFEREE: Allah Ditto. OFFICIAL SCORER: Zafar Yasir. PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Bismah Maroof.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2014