AO retain Dr Shah Cricket trophy

KARACHI: AO Clinic retained the trophy by overpowering Qasmi Gymkhana by five wickets in the final of the 24th Dr M A Shah Night Trophy Cricket Tournament 2019 which concluded here at the Asghar Ali Shah Stadium late on Thursday evening.

After many high-scoring encounters over the past few weeks, the title clash turned out to be a low-scoring affair as Qasmi Gymkhana, who batted first after winning the toss, were routed for 96 in 15.1 overs and AO Clinic also lost five wickets before reaching the modest target. Muhammad Mohsin (25 off 10 balls) and Fahadis Bukhari (15 off 10 balls) were the only Qasmi Gymkhana batsmen to reach double figures as the innings was tormented by medium-pacer Muhammad Musa (3-14), Agha Salman (3-23) and left-arm spinner Muhammad Sadaqat (2-21). AO Clinic’s chase was guided by Nasir Nawaz who remained undefeated on 45 off 34 balls with the help of three towering sixes after they had been jolted by left-arm spinner Lal Kumar (3-23).

The captain also had a role to play in his team’s triumph as Shahbaz Javed’s brief cameo of 16 containing one six and a couple of fours also proved crucial in settling the issue in favour of the defending champions.

AO Clinic’s duo of Muhammad Musa and Nasir Nawaz shared Man of the Match award in the final while all-rounder Kamran Ghulam of Qasmi Gymkhana was declared Man of the Tournament. The Governor of Sindh, Imran Ismail, was the chief guest in the prize distribution ceremony. He presented a cheque of Rupees five lacs alongwith the winners’ trophy to the A O Clinic skipper, Shahbaz Javed. The runners-up trophy, with a cheque of Rupees two and a half lacs, was collected by the Qasmi Gymkhana’s captain, Abid Qasmi. The Governor, in his brief speech, lauded member of the Sindh Assembly, Dr Syed Imran Ali Shah, and a former provincial minister, Dr Syed Junaid Ali Shah, who were also present on the occasion, for carrying forward the mission of their late father, Dr Syed Muhammad Ali Shah, who was also a former Sindh Sports Minister besides being President of the Sindh Olympic Association.