August 24, 2015

Sajid Ali, Fawad Ijaz Khan excel in Pakistan Veterans’ victory in England

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Pakistan News & Features Services 

Opener Sajid Ali powered Pakistan Panthers Veterans to 34-run victory over Dorset Veterans in their first match of the tour of England held at the Dean Park in Bournemouth on August 23.

Batting first, Pakistan Veterans scored 174 for eight in the allotted 30 overs. Then they restricted Dorset Veterans to 140 for nine in 30 overs to win the match comfortably in the end. 

The start to the game was delayed due to rain and it became 30-overs-a-side encounter instead of being the originally planned 40-overs-a-side contest. 

The Pakistan Veterans skipper, Fawad Ijaz Khan, won the toss and elected to bat. Sajid Ali held the innings together with a gritty 94 off 89 balls, hitting 14 boundaries, after the loss of a couple of early wickets. 

He received invaluable support from Nadeem Omar (18 off 26 balls), Najeeb Sadiq (18 off 28 balls) and Fawad Ijaz Khan (14 off 14 balls) as the total reached respectable proportions despite fine bowling from Joe Wilson (3-33) and Jim Ryall (2-25). 

Chasing a target of 175 in 30 overs, Dorset Veterans got off to flying start through the opening pair of Jim Rayall (35 off 40 balls) and John Young (26 off 29 balls). It was Fawad Ijaz Khan’s left-arm spin which turned the tide in the visiting team’s favour. After breaking the 67-run opening partnership, he picked up a couple of more wickets to return the figures of three for 36 off six overs. 

Dorset Veterans lost the plot after the fall of wickets in rapid succession and the run outs of two too-order batsmen, Mike Harper and Dave Miller, didn’t help their cause either. They were contained to 140 for nine in the stipulated 30 overs. 

Sajid Ali was adjudged Man of the Match in the presentation ceremony in which souvenir and mementos were also exchanged between the officials of the two teams. Richard Turner and Ian Vaughan-Arbuckle were the two umpires during the match. 

Meanwhile Pakistan Panthers Veterans, besides undertaking a visit of the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground on August 25, will be playing matches against Surrey CCC, Hampshire CCC and Middlesex CCC, during their one-week tour.

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