Gujranwala Blues, Pasroor Seniors register wins

KARACHI: Gujranwala Blues and Pasroor Seniors registered victories in the Northern Zone matches of the 18th National Seniors Cup Cricket Tournament 2016-17 being held in the upcountry regions.

Gujranwala Blues outwitted Gujrat Xtremes by eight runs at the DC Colony Ground, Gujranwala. Pasroor Seniors defeated Happy Seniors by four wickets at the Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot.

Put into bat, Gujranwala Blues were all out for 190 in 25 overs. Akif Ali (86 off 79 balls) held the innings together when the top-order was rocked by medium-pacers Rashid Ali (3-19) and Nawaz Shah (2-25). Left-arm spinner Shiraz Ahmed (3-28) ran through the lower order to prevent the score reaching mammoth proportions.

Chasing the target, Gujrat Xtremes lost the top half of their side for only 71 runs but they came back strongly through Rashid Ali who smashed seven sixes and four fours in his unbeaten 80 off 47 balls. He, however, could not help his side win the match as they were restricted to 182 for seven with off-spinner Tariq Mahmood (3-20) being the pick of the Gujranwala bowlers in what turned out to be a very closely-contested match.

In the other game, Happy Seniors, inserted into bat by Pasroor Seniors, made 191 for nine in 30 overs with major contributions coming from Zaheer Butt (40 off 35 balls), Rafaqat Ali (37 off 37 balls) and Barkat Ali (31 off 24 balls), while medium-pacers Abdul Qayyum (2-27) and Mohammad Aftab (2-36) sharing the bowling honours.

Half-centuries from opener Mohammad Aftab (54 off 64 balls) and Mohammad Junaid (50 off 42 balls) put Pasroor Seniors in the driving seat and Mian Imran’s unbeaten 27 off 19 balls enabled them reach the target with four-and-a-half overs to spare.

A record number of 111 teams from all parts of the country are contesting the tournament, being organised by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA) for the eighteenth year running. A total of 210 matches are due to be held this season with the National Final, to be contested between the champions of Northern Zone and Southern Zone, in Lahore next month.