Omar Associates regain Naya Nazimabad trophy

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Omar Associates regained the trophy by toppling National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) by 29 runs in the final of the 5th Naya Nazimabad Ramazan Cup Twenty20 Cricket Tournament 2018 under floodlights, at the Hussain Lawai Stadium in Karachi on June 4.

Opener Usman Khan smashed a breezy 71 and all-rounder Muhammad Nawaz followed up his rapid 29 with a three-wicket haul to engineer yet another title victory for Omar Associates, who had also clinched the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2014. 

The ground was already packed to capacity when Omar Associates chose to bat first after winning the toss. 

They entertained the crowd with sizzling strokes and piled up a huge total of 201 for seven in the allotted 20 overs. 

Openers Umar Akmal and Usman Khan gave their team a flying start by blasting 64 in the six overs of power play. Umar slammed two sixes and five boundaries in his 46 off 28 balls. 

The momentum was maintained despite losing three quick wickets in space of six balls for just one run. Bilal Asif took two wickets on successive balls that of Umar and Sami-ur-Rahman for golden duck while Saad Nasim was dislodged by Sohail Tanvir also for a duck which had reduced Omar Associates to 67 for three. 

Usman, however, batted brilliantly under pressure and hoisted four sixes besides belting half a dozen boundaries in his 71 off 36 balls to lift his team’s total. In the end Nawaz plundered 26 off 12 balls with three massive sixes and one four to set a difficult task for their opponents. 

NBP, in reply, was restricted to 172 for eight in their 20 overs despite the heroics of opener Ahsan Ali who topscored with 21-ball 42 laced with three sixes and four fours. Raza Dar banged three sixes in his 37 and Bilal Asif hoisted three sixes in his 11-ball cameo of 22. 

Left-arm spinner Muhammad Nawaz caused the main trouble for the bankers by grabbing three wickets for 26 runs while medium-pacer Anwar Ali snapped up two wickets for 24 runs. 

The Governor of Sindh, Muhammad Zubair, was the chief guest in the ceremony which was presided over by the former Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi. Also present on the occasion were Nadeem Omar, President-Elect, Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA), Fawad Ijaz Khan, Chairman, Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), and Arif Habib, Chairman, Arif Habib. 

The chief guest presented a glittering trophy alongwith a cash award of Rupees 12 lacs to the winning captain, Saad Nasim, while the runner-up trophy was collected by the NBP skipper, Bilal Asif, with a purse of Rupees six lacs. 

The Rupees 40,000 Man of the Match award for the final was shared between Usman Khan and Muhammad Nawaz of Omar Associates. 

Bilal Asif was declared the player of the tournament for his all-round excellence while Sahibzada Farhan and Zafar Gohar, both of them from Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), were adjudged best batsman and the bowler of the tournament respectively. The trio received Rs 25, 000 each.

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19th PVCA National Seniors Cup being contested by 103 teams

Pakistan News & Features Services

A total of 103 outfits from 50 cities, having been divided in 31 groups, will be participating in the 19th edition of the National Seniors Cup Cricket Tournament 2017-18 being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA) and sponsored by Omar Associates (Pvt) Ltd while Naya Nazimabad will be the co-sponsors.

The details about the event, whose Southern Zone matches will be getting underway on February 10, were shared by Fawad Ijaz Khan, Chairman, PVCA, in a media briefing at the Karachi Gymkhana on February 6. 

Nadeem Omar, Managing Director, Omar Associates, was also present on the occasion alongwith Akbar Iqbal Puri, President, Karachi Gymkhana, Abdul Haq, representing Naya Nazimabad, and the PVCA officials, Alamgir Ahmed, Amjad Islam Rishi, Shariq Hasib Khan and Mujahid Hamid. 

Fawad Ijaz Khan noted that the level of fitness of the cricketers, having crossed the age of 40, has improved considerably over the years primarily due to the introduction of the National Seniors Cup. 

Nadeem Omar reckoned that the senior cricketers were also making a significant contribution in the development of the sport, complimenting the PVCA to have withstood the challenges and delivered against the heaviest of odds. 

Akbar Puri informed that besides installing floodlights at the Karachi Gymkhana Cricket Ground, the club was looking forward to having more proactive role in cricket in near future. 

It was disclosed that 34 city teams from Punjab, 8 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 5 from Sindh, 2 from Islamabad one from Baluchistan will be taking part in the tournament whose national final, to be contested between the Champions of Northern and Southern Zones, will be taking place in Karachi on 22nd April. The total prize money in the event will be Rs 694,000. 

Karachi Gold Bridge will be taking on Karachi Lucky Knitts in the inaugural match of the Southern Zone  at Naya Nazimabad Cricket Ground on February 10. 

In the Southern Zone competition, Omar Associates, Fact Date Engineering, A A Pakwan, CAA and Quetta are placed in the Group A while the Group B comprises of RLCA, Gold Bridge, Airport Gymkhana, Haseen Habib and Lucky Knitts with Hyderabad, Badin, Jamshoro and Mirpurkhas being the drawn in the interior Sindh group. 

The group matches of the Southern Zone, taking place at Karachi and Hyderabad, will be of 20 overs each innings whereas the Zonal finals as well as the National Final will be of 30 overs per innings. The group matches will be organized on single league basis. 

The matches of the Northern Zone, having got underway last November, are being played at Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Multan, Okara, Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Muridke, Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Sialkot while the matches of the Southern Zone will be played at Karachi and Hyderabad.

Amjad Islam Rishi will be the Tournament Coordinator while the Southern Zone Committee will be headed by Alamgir Ahmed. 

The National Seniors Cup, contested annually between the selected teams of the various cities, has been organized by the PVCA every season since they its launch in 1998. 

The PVCA has attained not only national but international recognition. It has played three series of limited overs matches against Indian Veterans featuring mega stars on both sides. It also organized a series of matches against touring Canadian Veterans Cricket team in February 2017 and they are again touring Pakistan later this month to play a series of matches in Karachi and Lahore. 

Besides organizing Seniors/Veterans/Super Veterans Cricket, the PVCA is also promoting School Cricket as well having already organized eight successful editions of Inter-School Cricket Tournament in Karachi.

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Naya Nazimabad Peace Cup scales greater heights in second edition

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The recently held second edition of the Naya Nazimabad Peace Cup 2014 turned out to be a standout event of Karachi. The picturesque Lawai Stadium, illuminated with stunning floodlights, remained the talk of the town with the live telecast of the knockout games for seven nights running. 

Everything about the tournament, spread over a month or so, was near perfect. The facilities at the ground were truly exceptional. It was quite extraordinary how they managed to save the pitch when it rained heavily before the start of the one of the semifinals. 

There were fears that the match might have to be postponed because the rain was so heavy. But the pitch had been so nicely protected that it remained dry when the covers were taken off much to the amusement of the players and the officials. It was nothing short of a miracle that 12-overs-a-side contest was still made possible shortly at the end of the heavy downpour. 

There were apprehensions in some minds about the location of the ground but, as Arif Habib, Chairman, Arif Habib Group, had so emphatically stated during the media launch of the event at the Karachi Gymkhana a couple of days before the start of the tournament, there was nothing to worry about when approaching the ground or leaving it. 

The event progressed very smoothly indeed and not a single untoward incident was reported during 31 nights of cricket action. There was no issue of law and order situation in the area during the entire length of the tournament. 

All the matches were played under floodlights and there was tremendous excitement at the ground which built an atmosphere that’s rarely found at other venues of Karachi these days. The dream of establishing the Lawai Stadium in Naya Nazimabad as a model cricket ground is very much on the way to fulfillment. 

It has already created waves in a short span of time and it seems a matter of time when high-profile matches will be taking place at this marvellous venue. The 2nd Naya Nazimabad Peace Cup was yet another feather in the cap of the promoters of the massive housing scheme, who consider cricket as the paramount source of binding the various sections of the society. 

It went to the credit of the management of the corporation to have arranged for the live telecast of the knockout matches of the 2nd Peace Cup which was a great value addition for the tournament itself. It was quite a remarkable achievement to have done it so quickly. Other local tournaments have also been televised in the recent past but it had taken ages for them to do so. 

The Naya Nazimabad Peace Cup, launched only last year, was on air in only its second edition. The presence of the high-ranking government officials, including Commissioner Karachi, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, and Advisor on Sports to Sindh Chief Minister, Adil Siddiqui, besides some top businessmen of the country was a testimonial to the success of the tournament. 

Mohammad Iqbal, Director Sports, Naya Nazimabad, played the pivotal role in making the tournament a resounding success. The former first-class cricketer, who also has vast experience of cricket administration, worked with missionary zeal almost round the clock to ensure that everything remained in order. 

The success of the 2nd Peace Cup should pave the way for further glories for the Lawai Stadium which is expected to host matches of the national cricket tournaments, organized by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), as early as the upcoming season. The Lawai Stadium, named after Hussain Lawai, a famous banker, seems set to become one of the most sought-after cricket grounds of the country.

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Naya Nazimabad Peace Cup scales greater heights in its second edition

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The dream of Arif Habib, Chairman, Arif Habib Group, of establishing the Lawai Stadium in Naya Nazimabad as a model cricket ground is on way to fulfillment. It has already created waves in a short span of time and it seems a matter of time when high-profile matches will be taking place at this marvellous venue. 

The recently concluded second edition of the Naya Nazimabad Peace Cup, held under fllodlights, was another feather in the cap of the Javedan Corporation Limited, the promoters of the massive housing scheme, who consider cricket as the paramount source of binding the various sections of the society. 

It went to the credit of the management of the corporation to have arranged for the live telecast of the knockout matches of the 2nd Peace Cup which was a great value addition for the tournament itself. It was quite a remarkable achievement to have done it so quickly. 

Other local tournaments have also been televised in the recent past but it had taken ages for them to do so. The Naya Nazimabad Peace Cup, launched only last year, was on air in only its second edition. 

There were apprehensions in some minds about the location of the ground but, as Arif Habib had so emphatically stated during the media launch of the event at the Karachi Gymkhana a couple of days before the start of the tournament, there was nothing to worry about when approaching the ground or leaving it. 

The event progressed very smoothly indeed and not a single untoward incident was reported during 31 nights of cricket action. There was no issue of law and order situation in the area during the entire length of the tournament. 

All the matches were played under floodlights and there was tremendous excitement at the ground which built an atmosphere that’s rarely found at other venues of Karachi these days. 

The presence of the high-ranking government officials, including Commissioner Karachi, Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, and Advisor on Sports to Sindh Chief Minister, Adil Siddiqui, besides some top businessmen of the country was a testimonial to the success of the tournament. 

While the support of the Arif Habib Group and the proactive involvement of the top management of the Javedan Corporation played its role in the smashing success of the tournament, one person who played the pivotal role in making it possible was none other than Mohammad Iqbal, a former cricketer, whose vast experience of cricket administration allowed him to do it in an organized manner. 

The resounding success of the 2nd Peace Cup should pave the way for further glories for the Lawai Stadium which is expected to host matches of the national cricket tournaments, organized by the Pakistan Cricket Boarb (PCB), as early as the upcoming season. 

The Lawai Stadium, named after Hussain Lawai, a famous banker, seems set to become one of the most sought-after cricket grounds of the country.

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Omar Cricket Club clinch Naya Nazimabad Peace Cup for second year running

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Omar Cricket Club extended its sensational form to retain the title by edging out Advance Telecom by two runs in thrilling final of the 2nd Peace Cup T-20 Night Cricket Tournament 2014 at the picturesque Naya Nazimabad Lawai Stadium on July 27.

So it has become two in two for the rampaging Omar CC side as they had also emerged triumphant in the inaugural edition of the tournament held at the same venue last year.

Set a daunting target of 172 in 20 overs, Advance Telecom needed eight off the last six deliveries. Off-spinner Misbah Khan kept his cool and delivered a fantastic final over which yielded only five runs. He finished with the excellent figures of two for 28 in the high-scoring game. 

Advance Telecom was restricted to 171 for eight despite Babar Agha, who hammered two sixes and half a dozen fours in brilliant knock of 59 off 47 balls and Asif Ali, who made 55 off 26 balls with the help of six sixes and four fours. 

Omar CC was indebted to former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Sami who first boosted the total by blasting an unbeaten 59 off 34 balls with three sixes and two fours and later chipped in with two wickets for 17 runs to clinch the Man of the Match award. 

Omar CC installed a big total of 173 for seven in the allotted 20 overs. Prolific opener Rameez Raja gave the innings head start by striking seven sixes and eight boundaries in his splendid innings of 80 off just 44 balls. Fast bowler Sohail Khan (2-38) and leg-spinner Faizan Riaz (2-28) pulled it pack for Advance Telecom before the final onslaught from Mohammad Sami. 

The prize distribution ceremony was held soon after the conclusion of the final in which trophies and cash awards were given away by Adil Siddiqui, Advisor to Sindh Chief Minster, Arif Habib, Chairman Arif Habib Group, Nadeem Omar, Managing Director, Omar Associates, and Mohammad Iqbal, Director Sports, Naya Nazimabad. 

The Omar CC skipper, Javed Mansoor, collected the winners trophy with a purse of Rs four lacs while the Advance Telecom captain, Rehan Sheikh, received the runners-up trophy with a cash award of Rs two lacs. 

Among the individual prizes, Saud Shakil of Alamgir Gymkhana was declared Man of the Tournament while Rameez Raja, Fawad Khan and Javed Mansoor, all of them from Omar CC, were adjudged the best batsman, the best bowler and the best wicketkeeper of the tournament respectively.

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Naya Nazimabad Peace Cup to offer bigger cash rewards

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The prizemoney of the 2nd Peace Cup Ramazan Festival Cricket Tournament 2014, due to get underway under floodlights at the Lawai Cricket Stadium in Naya Nazimabad, Karachi, later in the week, has been enhanced substantially.

It was announced that the total prize money of the Peace Cup has now been raised to Rs 700,000 with the winners to collect a purse of Rs 400,000 and the runners-up to receive Rs 200,000. 

Arif Habib, Chairman, Arif Habib Group, having masterminded the development of a cricket stadium of international standard in the massive 2,100-acre housing scheme in the northern area of the city, shared the details of the mega project during a media briefing at the Karachi Gymkhana on June 23. 

He dispelled the impression that security was an issue while playing or commuting at the Lawai Stadium which will now be playing host to the second edition of the Peace Cup, after a successful launch last year. 

“Security is not area-specific issue. Living in DHA, I visit the ground almost every Sunday to play cricket matches. The management and staff of the Naya Nazimabad go there on a daily basis. The area is as safe as any other locality of Karachi ,” he reckoned. 

Arif Habib, himself an enthusiastic cricketer, disclosed that following the completion of the cricket stadium, now construction work has commenced on the development of grounds for hockey and football besides a club house, which will have facilities for indoor games. 

“The participants of the 2nd Peace Cup will find many new features at the Lawai Stadium which houses dressing rooms besides dugouts. The third-umpire room, sightscreens, auto rollers and auto cutting machines are now also there while the pitches have recently been re-laid,” he added. 

Responding to a question, Mohammad Iqbal, Director Sports, Naya Nazimabad, informed the media that they were awaiting action from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) who have been requested to allocate them some matches during the upcoming 2014-15 cricket season at the Lawai Stadium. 

“The PCB committee had visited the Lawai Stadium and they agreed that it’s equipped with the modern paraphernalia amd merited consideration for being used as a venue for the national tournaments in the coming season,” he added. 

“Located in the vicinity of the populous North Nazimabad, our stadium seems to be having all the ingredients of becoming a venue for first-class matches as well as limited overs games under floodlights,” Iqbal felt. 

Test umpire Mr Riazuddin unveiled the technical aspects of the tournament while Samad A Habib, CEO, Javedan Corporation Ltd, Ali Rahim, President, Karachi Gymkhana, and Nadeem Omar, Managing Director, Omar Associates, and former cricketers, Anwar-ul-Haq, Babar Basharat, Sajid Abbasi and Zaheer Ahmed were prominent among those present on the occasion. 

As many as seven teams, United Sports Club, Faisalabad Wolves Star Cricket Club, Bank Islami, Vital Five Academy, Haidery Traders, Azad Pak Ltd and Royal Cricket Club will be making their debut in the 2nd Peace Cup. 

Defending champions Omar Associates, last year’s runners-up Qasmi Cricket Club, Alamgir Gymkhana, Travels Cricket Club Afghanistan, Sony Associates, Eaton Cricket Club, BYI Cricket Club, Advance Telecom and Brothers Cricket Club Dadu will be the other participating outfits in the tournament due to commence a couple of days before the start of the holy month.

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Naya Nazimabad’s Lawai Stadium ready to stage first-class cricket

By Syed Khalid Mahmood  
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The magnificent Lawai Stadium, located in Naya Nazimabad, Karachi, seems to be having all the ingredients of becoming a world-class venue in future. No wonder it’s ready to host first-class cricket matches as well as limited overs games under floodlights. 

Mohammad Iqbal, Director Sports, Naya Nazimabad, has informed that they would shortly be writing to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to allocate them some matches during the upcoming 2014-15 cricket season. 

“Having acquired all the necessary equipments after developing a stadium of the highest class we are ready to host the matches of the national competitions. We would be writing to the PCB Chairman, Najam Sethi, to let us stage the matches in the coming season,” Iqbal, who headed the MCB Bank’s Sports Division with distinction for a number of years, revealed. 

“The Lawai Stadium houses dressing rooms besides dugouts for participating teams. We have third-umpire room as well as brand new sightscreens. We have got hold of auto roller as well as the auto grass cutting machine. We have re-laid our pitches having a lot of grassy stuff. The floodlights are already there. So we have adequate facilities to hold day games as well as day-nighters,” he remarked. 

“We are confident about the PCB including our stadium in its list of venues for national tournaments next season because we fulfill nearly every condition needed to host first-class games,” Iqbal, himself a former cricketer, added. 

The Lawai Stadium is an initiative of Arif Habib, one of the leading entrepreneurs of the country, who was instrumental in developing a cricket ground of international standard in Naya Nazimabad City, a 2,100-acre housing scheme in the northern area of Karachi. He is credited to have masterminded the development of the cricket stadium on a fast track, earning huge goodwill to the mega project. 

The picturesque cricket stadium has been named after Hussain Lawai, President, Summit Bank Limited, in recognition and honour of his support and passion for cricket. Besides being a seasoned banker, he has remained a great promoter of sports over the years. 

The Lawai Stadium is first thing one comes across after entering the main gate of the Naya Nazimabad project. 

With hills on one side and the Manghopir Lake on the other, the scheme is well guarded and gated. It’s just a few minutes drive from the Sakhi Hasan roundabout in North Nazimabad. 

The construction work in the housing scheme is in full flow, much to the delight and satisfaction of the allottees, and the developed cricket stadium has ensured plenty of life in the arena much before people start residing there upon the completion of the project by the end of 2015. 

The credit for turning Arif Habib’s dream of the Naya Nazimabad Lawai Stadium into reality goes to Mohammad Iqbal, whose expertise and skills for sports administration are well known. 

He had represented the organization in the various committees as well as the Council of the Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan (BCCP), now the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). 

The Naya Nazimabad Lawai Stadium has already hosted a major tournament recently in which Omar Cricket Club emerged triumphant in the final of the Peace Cup Twenty20 Cricket Tournament 2013 at as they overpowered Qasmi Cricket Club in the final.

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