KARACHI: Medium-pacers Muhammad Ali and Muhammad Musa bowled Karachi Gymkhana into the quarter-finals of Karachi Gymkhana-Omar Associates Ramazan Festival Cricket Tournament as the hosts overwhelmed DLI Zafa by seven wickets in the last league fixture here at the KG Cricket Ground on Monday.
Karachi Gymkhana will be taking on Quetta Gladiators Academy in the first quarter-final on Tuesday (today). In the next three quarter-finals, due to take place on the following three days, Omar Cricket Club will be pitted against Alamgir Gymkhana, Eaton Cricket Club will clash with Rangoonwala New Al Habib, and Qasmi Gymkhana will lock horns with Heroes Cricket Club Quetta.
DLI Zafa, opting to bat first after winning the toss, were troubled by the Gymkhana new-ball attack from the outset as Muhammad Ali (4-18), declared Man of the Match, and Muhammad Musa (2-21) reduced them to 35 for six. Waleed Azeem (20 off 26 balls) and Irfan Ali (14 off 16 balls) were the only batsmen to reach double figures in the DLI Zafa innings which folded in 16.2 overs with only 81 runs on the board. Left-arm spinner Haider Ali claimed the last couple of wickets for only six runs in 1.2 overs.
Karachi Gymkhana also lost both their openers early but Shaz Shahjani’s unbeaten 28 off 32 balls took them over the line in 14 overs. Shahbaz Javed contributed an unbeaten 17 off 13 balls to lend him support, adding 43 for the unbroken fourth wicket stand. Medium-pacer Irfan Ali took two wickets for DLI Zafa.
