KARACHI: University of Central Punjab got off to a flying start in the Red Bull Campus Cricket tournament in Sri Lanka, beating opponents from the UAE by seven wickets.
University of Central Punjab restricted their opponents from the UAE to 135-9 in their allotted 20 overs.
Rohit Jamwal scored 40 off 41 balls. None of the other batsmen could offer any notable resistance to pace and spin bowlers of University of Central Punjab. Captain Ali Tipu Sultan, a left-armer, grabbed three for 14 runs from his quota of four overs.
Aftab Azwer claimed three wickets, but conceded 39 runs.
University of Central Punjab went past the target in 17.3 overs, losing only three wickets in the process.
Junaid Ali scored 56 runs off 41 balls. Usman Khalid scored 46 off 38 balls.
Eight college teams from eight countries have been divided into two groups. The group stages will take place in Colombo from September 5-7, at the headquarters of Sri Lankan cricket, the Sinhalese Sports Club, and at the adjacent Nondescripts Cricket Club.
The semi-finals and the final will take place at the Galle International Stadium on September 10 and 11, respectively.
College teams from Sri Lanka, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Pakistan, South Africa and the UAE have qualified through their own national competitions.