Pak Army cricket team wins match against British Army

LONDON: The Pakistan Army cricket team won a match against the British Army team by four wickets. At the Army Cricket Ground Aldershot, Pakistan Army team, led by Major Tariq Mehmood won the toss and elected to field in a 46-over match. The host team knocked out at 161 runs in 40 overs.
In response, the Pakistan Team chased the target of 161 runs in 40th over with four wickets remaining. The highlight of the match was unbeaten 77 runs by Pakistan Army opener Shafiqur Rehman.
Syed Ibne Abbas, Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK was introduced to the Pakistan Army team by Brigadier Ghulam Jilani, Chair, Pakistan Army Sports Control Board. On this occasion, the high commissioner welcomed the initiative of cricket tours between the Pakistan and the British Army teams. He said Pakistan and the UK enjoy friendly relations in the fields of politics, economy and defence, and the cricket series between the two Army teams would further strengthen our relations.
Major General Ali Abbas Haider, Director General Military Training and Major General Shaun Burley, Chair British Army Sports Control Board termed the current tour by Pakistan Army Team very productive and said it would pave way for many more such sporting events in future. Major General Ali Abbas Haider thanked the British Army for their warm hospitality and facilitation.
The cricket tour of England by the Pakistan Army is taking place at the personal invitation of the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Nicholas Carter. Both the sides expressed desire to make it an annual feature of their cricketing relations in which the two countries would host the series on alternate basis. Previously, the British Army Cricket Team visited Pakistan in 2012 and played a series of matches there.
From Pakistan side, the senior guests included Syed Ibne Abbas, Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK, Major General Ali Abbas Haider, Director General Military Training; Brigadier Ghulam Jilani, Chair, Pakistan Army Sports Control Board and officers of the Defence Wing of Pakistan High Commission, London. The British side was represented by Major General Shaun Burley, Chair British Army Sports Control Board; Brigadier TM Hyams; Brigadier R Walton-Knight and Brigadier JSA Carr-Smith. Members of the Pakistani community and representatives of the British as well as Pakistani media also watched the match.
The history of the Pakistan Army Cricket Team goes back to the mid-1950s when Army players, as part of combined services team, participated in the Grade I Quaid-i-Azam Cricket Trophy. The current touring team of the Pakistan Army is the first ever team which has come the UK to play a week-long bilateral series.