The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) national Under-19 one-day tournament ended in Rawalpindi on Saturday. Two teams of the Lahore and Karachi regions along with one team each of other 14 regions of the Board participated. Although Karachi region stole the show as its both teams entered the final, Lahore Region’s Blues team managed to play the semifinal against the Karachi Whites. It was a high-scoring match and showed potential of various cricketers.

Though the Lahore Blues lost it, the way the boys fought was encouraging. Chasing a challenging target of 354, the Lahore Blues continued its fight till 347 for nine, before the allotted 50 overs were completed. The Blues main scorer was its captain Zahid Alam, who played a gallant captain knock (128). His stormy innings was studded with 10 sixes and nine boundaries and he consumed just 91 balls. Zahid’s knock was a treat to watch. The second main scorer for the Lahore Blues was Uzair Nasir who scored 67 and with Zahid, both collected, 111 runs in the second-wicket stand. Uzair conceded 71 balls, cracking four boundaries and one six. Overall, it was an interesting match of the event.

The second semifinal between Karachi Blues and Sialkot remained one-sided. The Blues achieved the paltry target of 120 for the loss of only three wickets.

Overall, Zahid remained top scorer for the Lahore Region, scoring 476 runs at the average of 52.89. Uzair remained second best run-getter with aggregate 311, averaging 51.83 and Mohammad Saleem remained third with 246 runs, averaging 35.14. Now it is the task of coaches and trainers of the Lahore Region to groom Zahid and Uzair and not to spoil their talent due to politics as both the cricketers have the talent to even represent the country in future.

Zahid has already represented the country at the U-19 level. Not with the bat only, Zahid Alam also excelled with the leather, snaring 15 wickets averaging 21.53. But as bowler pacer Syed Ahmer Jalil of the Lahore Blues remained most successful capturing 17 wickets at the fine average of 15.12, followed by Rizwan Siddiqui, who also claimed 15 wickets averaging 20.33.

The performance of Lahore Whites was not good as it finished among the bottom teams of its pools. The only key scorer was Faisal Ali, who plundered 334 runs in eight matches, averaging 83.50. No other batsman even could surpass 200-run mark.

Hasan Zahid was the main successful bowler for Lahore Whites taking 17 wickets at fine average 13.88 and the second best was Fahad Munir (12 wickets, 28.50 averages).

The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) this last week held a seminar in Lahore to discuss the reasons behind the constant decline of sports in the country. The PSB took the much-needed initiative but one is not sure whether it has the capacity to act on the recommendations of the speakers. The problems and solutions are well known but there is a need to have good intentions and sufficient financial resources.

A number of students of the Sports Sciences and Physical Education were present as listeners. They put questions about their future as sports scientists and their concern over the below par performance of the sector. No official of the Pakistan Olympic Association or any national sports federation and of the Punjab Sports Board (PSB) was present in the seminar.

The Lahorites must have enjoyed this last week with the sport of free-style wrestling. Some international wrestlers visited Lahore to exhibit their skill at the Alhamra Open Air Theatre near Gaddafi Stadium. And a couple of days later, the Lahorities also tasted the flavour of indigenous style of kabaddi matches and the wrestling bouts, too at the Punjab Stadium. Though the international wrestlers are in Pakistan on invitation of the private sector, the kabaddi and wrestling bouts were organised by the federal government sports adviser Ijaz Gull, who had to plan these competitions in Multan and in other parts of the country, too.

Among the international wrestlers were Wade Barrett, Tango, Flesh, Zefy, Bambikiller, Yacine Osmani, Fabio Ferrari, Mr Jacky, Ludovic Vaillant, Angels Bombita, Audrey Bride, Mickey Trash, Betty Trash, Omen, Aaron Rammy, Adam Flex Maxted, Bernard Vandamme and Xtreme Fury.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2017

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