AMC clinch KG Ramazan Cricket title

KARACHI: Ashfaq Memorial Club (AMC), extending giant-killing act, thrashed Greeno Cmax by six wickets in the final to annex the 36th edition of the Karachi Gymkhana Ramazan Festival Cricket Tournament 2023 for the Omar Trophy here at the KG Cricket Ground on Tuesday.

Batting first in overcast conditions, Greeno Cmax struggled after losing their top half early with Waleed Azim (2-29) and Saqib Khan (2-38) doing the damage. Azam Khan’s 29 off 20 balls and Ram Ravi’s unbeaten 30 off 20 balls lifted them to a competitive total which proved inadequate in the end.

Opener Shahzar Hassan (45 off 27 balls) and Muhammad Asad (37 off 25 balls) put Ashfaq MC on top from the outset and the asking rate dropped below a-run-a-ball at the end of powerplay overs. Greeno Cmax fought back by picking up a few wickets but the result was never in doubt and Tasawwar Abbas completed victory with a massive six in the 16th over.

Rameez Aziz, the winning captain, collected a bumper cash prize of Rs700,000 while Shahzar Muhammad, whose team ended as the runners-up, received Rs350,000. The losing finalists, Omar Associates and Rangoonwala Sports, got Rs100,000 each while Man of the Tournament, Shahzar Hassan, and Man of the Match in the final, Muhammad Asad, became richer by Rs30,000 and Rs24,000, respectively.

The tournament’s best batsman (Nafay), best bowler (Kashif Hussain), best fielder (Farid Shah) and best wicketkeeper (Ashir Ahmed) received Rs20,000 each.