KARACHI: The 30th edition of the Aga Khan Gymkhana (AGK) Ramazan Cricket Festival is set to begin with usual fanfare from the first day of the holy month at the AKG Ground.

At the media press briefing, which attended by AKG honorary secretary Khaliq Pasnani, cricket convener Mir Afzal Baig, Test umpire Riazuddin, members Hamid Khan, Saleem Nadir, Irfan Surani, AKG manager Altaf Asrani and senior scorer Syed Imran Ali, details of the upcoming competition were unveiled.

Compared to last year, the purse has been enhanced with the eventual champions will pocket Rs500,000 which has been increased by Rs200,000. The runners-up will receive Rs250,000. The actual sum to be given to top individual performers will be announced later, according to media coordinator Mohammad Nizam.

While 12 teams are participating in the in the tournament, defending champions Atiq Estates have opted out this time.

The teams have been drawn three pools with Dollar East along with Jaffer Brothers, Karachi Smasher and Sojhla Academy (Dera Ghazi Khan) in Group ‘A’.

Omar Colts, Saeed Ajmal Academy, Shahid Afridi Foundation and Qasmi Gymkhana constitute Group ‘B’, while Tapal CC, Advance Telecom, Dubai Hawks and tournament hosts Aga Khan Gymkhana are placed in Group ‘C’.

According to the rules devised for the event, the top two sides of each pool will go through to the quarter-finals with the remaining two slots to be filled up by the best two losers at the completion of the preliminary round.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2017