SB News
LAHORE (January 4, 2020):-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Under-13 beat Southern Punjab U13 by five wickets at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium on Saturday to win the National U13 Catch em Championship. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chased down the 157-run target with 13 balls spare in the 30-over contest.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain and opener Ahmed Hussain led his side from the front with an unbeaten 72 off 78 balls, hitting eight fours, while the other notable performances came from Zulqarnain, who batted at number seven and scored 41 runs from 40 balls and cracked six fours.
Earlier in the match, Southern Punjab had scored 156 for nine with wicketkeeper-batsman Fahad Kashif top-scoring with a 47-ball 48. The opening batsman struck five fours. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mohammad Salman starred with the ball picking three wickets for 20 runs in five overs. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain Ahmed picked up two wickets for 27 runs in six overs.
For his all-round performance, Ahmed was declared player of the final. He was also awarded player of the tournament award for scoring 283 runs and taking 11 wickets in six matches. The tournament is part of Pakistan Cricket Board’s efforts to identify and develop a pool of cricketers at the junior level to train them to become part of U16 and U19 level.
The tournament included six U13 Cricket Association teams, which were finalised by the national junior selection committee. A total of 16 matches, including the final, were played at different venues in Faisalabad. At the conclusion of the match, players from both sides were gifted kit bags to encourage them to continue working on their skills.
Scores in brief:
Southern Punjab U13 156-9, 30 overs (Fahad Kashif 48; Mohammad Salman 3-20, Ahmed Hussain 2-27)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U13 157-5, 27.5 overs (Ahmed Hussain 72 not out, Zulqarnain 41 not out)
Result: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U13 won the final by five wickets
