CAA, Dollar East win matches in Naya Nazimabad Cup

KARACHI: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Dollar East won their matches of the Naya Nazimabad Ramazan Cup Twenty20 here at the picturesque Hussain Lawai Stadium.

CAA short-circuited K-Electric by three wickets in a low-scoring Group C encounter. Dollar East outwitted Pakistan Customs by 25 runs in another match of the same group. Opener Muhammad Afzal was the architect of CAA’s triumph over K-Electric with a hurricane batting display. He smashed 58 runs off 24 balls, hitting three sixes and seven fours as his team reached the target of 136 with a couple of overs to spare.

He was adjudged Man of the Match. K-Electric hit back and the match became wide open when the spin duo of Hassan Khan (3-21) and Salman Agha (2-24) made rapid inroads but Azam Khan’s unbeaten 19 in 13 balls with two boundaries and one six settled the issue.

Earlier, the CAA spinners Ashar Qureshi (3-18) and Azam Khan (3-22) bowled superbly to bowl K-Electric out for 135 with three balls of the 20 overs remaining. Salman Ali Agha made 42 off 34 balls with two sixes and three fours. Zeeshan Malik struck four boundaries in his 39.

In the other match, all-rounder Sohail Akhtar starred in Dollar East’s victory over Pakistan Customs with attacking batting and bowling. He whacked four sixes in his 33 off 18 balls and grabbed two wickets for 17 runs to win the Rs5,000 Man of the Match award.

Batting first, Dollar East scored 158 for the loss of seven wickets in their 20 overs. Opener Khurram Manzoor got 29 in 36 balls with two fours and Rameez Aziz struck two sixes in his 18-ball knock of 26.

Faheem Ahmed captured three wickets for 27 runs and Hasan Mahmood got two for 25. Pakistan Customs were restricted to 133 for seven in reply despite Fahad Babar slamming a brilliant 61 off 48 balls with one six and seven boundaries. Besides Sohail’s two wickets, Usman Qadir took two wickets for 24 to win the day for Dollar East.