Qadri Model School, The Educators School victorious in Omar Trophy Inter-School Cricket

Pakistan News & Features Services

The spinners played the decisive role as Qadri Model School and The Educators School prevailed over Zeeshan Secondary School and Khan Secondary School respectively in the latest league matches of the Omar Trophy Inter-School Cricket Tournament 2016, being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA).

Both the encounters proved to be low scoring affairs as Qadri Model School overcame Zeeshan Secondary School by five wickets in the Group C at the Eastern Star Ground while The Educators School defeated Khan Secondary School by 20 runs in the Group D at the KCCA Stadium. 

Electing to bat, after winning the toss, Zeeshan Secondary School was spun out for 108 in 21.5 overs but they fought back to reduce their opponents to 76 for five at one stage. 

Qadri Model School, however, settled the issue with the 33-run unbroken sixth wicket stand which allowed them to win with as many as 16.4 overs to spare. 

All-rounder Abdul Basit, declared Man of the Match, played the key role in guiding Qadri Model School to victory. He followed a five-wicket haul with a crucial knock of 30. 

Zeeshan Secondary School seemed heading towards a big total before being tormented by the spin duo of Abdul Basit (5-21) and Saad Bin Yousuf (3-23) as they lost their last nine wickets for only 61 runs to be bowled out for 108. Mohammad Bilal (36 off 59 balls) was their topscorer with the next highest contribution coming from Mr Extras (31). 

 Chasing a modest target of 109 in 40 overs, Qadri Model School lost their first three wickets, all of them to medium-pacer Waleed Khan, rather cheaply. Opener Abdul Basit’s 30 off 44 balls revived them but the match became alive when his departure was followed by another quick wicket.

It was Auranhzeb Ahmed’s unbeaten 38 off 56 balls which sealed the fate of the match in Qadri Model School’s favour. He was assisted by Mohammad Sami, who returned undefeated on 19 off 22 balls. 

In the other game, The Educators School, who batted first after calling correctly, slumped to 138 all out in 33.5 overs against Khan Secondary School having lost their last nine wickets for only 40. 

They managed to defend what looked like a below-par total successfully by bowling their opponents out for only 118 in 33.1 overs. 

Fine knocks from number three Mohammad Moazzam (34 off 47 balls) and opener Aryan Ali (31 off 50 balls) had laid the platform for a big total for The Educators Schools who collapsed dramatically against the spin duo of Majid Aslam (4-40) and Sher Bahadur (3-27). 

Khan Secondary School’s followed identical pattern as they also lost their last nine wickets for only 55, after 62-run second wicket partnership between number three Mohammad Farhan (36 off 76 balls) and opener Aman Khan (29 off 31 balls). 

The Educators School’s left-arm spinner, Uzair Ali Khan, adjudged Man of the Match, produced a sensational spell of 6.1 overs during which he claimed four wickets for only eight runs. He was supported by leg-spinner Sameer Ahmed (3-20) and off-spinner Zaid Bin Haris (2-4).

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Ladybird Grammar School, St Patrick High School register victories in Omar Trophy Inter-School Cricket

Pakistan News & Features Services

Ladybird Grammar School and St Patrick High School registered victories over their respective rivals in the latest league matches of the Omar Trophy Inter-School Cricket Tournament 2016, being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA).

Abdul Rafay’s fine all-round performance guided Ladybird Grammar School to an exciting three-wicket victory over CAA Model School in the Group A encounter at the Eastern Star Ground while Mohammad Usman’s exhilarating century powered St Patrick High School to an easy 72-run win over Foundation Public School in the Group G fixture at the Hill Park Ground. 

Ladybird Grammar School bowled CAA Model School out for 127 in 35.4 overs despite conceding 35 extras. 

Leg-spinner Asadullah (4-23) ran through the top-order with medium-pacer Abdul Rafay (2-17), later adjudged Man of the Match, and left-arm spinner Amanullah (2-19) sustaining the pressure. 

None of the CAA Model School batsman could play a big knock against the steady spin-cum-pace with opener Mohammad Maaz (22 off 49 balls) being the top scorer. 

CAA Model School, however, opened up the contest while defending its modest score and they seemed on top when Ladybird Grammar School lost the sixth wicket with 70 still needed for victory. 

The 44-run eight wicket stand between Abdul Rafay and Anas Ali brought Ladybird Grammar School back into the game after medium-pacer Asna Sarfraz (3-28) and leg-spinner Umar Shah (2-25) had routed the top half of the batting line-up. 

It was still anybody’s game when Anas Ali was dismissed for 22 off 27 balls at the total of 102 but Abdul Rafay’s unbeaten 21 off 46 balls allowed Ladybird Grammar School to reach the target of 128 in the 31st over with three wickets standing. 

Mohammad Usman, whose dazzling century earned him Man of the Match award, played the key role in St Patrick High School 72-run win over Foundation Public School. 

Batting first, St Patrick High School amassed 255 for eight in the allotted 40 with opener Mohammad Usman whacking two sixes and 12 fours in his 71-ball 100. Exxon John’s unbeaten 38 off 47 balls prevented them from getting bowled out after a middle-order collapse. 

The spin duo of Osama Khan (2-41) and Mohammad Abbas (2-44) pulled it back for Foundation Public School after the early onslaught from Mohammad Usman. 

Chasing a target of 256 in 40, Foundational Public School got off to a solid start as openers Bilal Khurram (32 off 58 balls) and Osama Khan (28 off 41 balls) added 60 for the first wicket. 

The introduction of spinners slowed down the rate of scoring and Foundation Public School lost wickets at regular intervals to be restricted to 183 for nine. 

St Patrick High School’s off-spinners Zayan Ahmed (2-36) and Exxon John (1-36) were instrumental in choking the run-rate and medium-pacer Syed Shayan Zaheer (2-24) return to clean the tail.

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Skipper K M Nafay’s awesome all-round effort leads New Standard Secondary School to massive victory in Omar Trophy Inter-School Cricket

Pakistan News & Features Services

Skipper K M Nafay’s awesome all-round performance led New Standard Secondary School to a massive 193-run victory over The City School in their Group H fixture of the Omar Trophy Inter-School Cricket Tournament 2016, being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), at the TMC Ground on October 4.

K M Nafay, adjudged Man of the Match, scored a brilliant century to help New Standard Secondary School compile an imposing total of 288 for seven in the allotted 40 overs. 

He then claimed four wickets with his off-spin to send The City School crashing to 95 all out in 21.3 overs. 

The captain led from the front as he himself kickstarted the New Standard Secondary School innings, having elected to bat after calling correctly. The opener smashed a couple of sixes and 14 sixes in his 83-ball 111 to flatten the bowlers. 

The City School’s leg-spinner Talha Musavi caused a mini-collapse by taking three wickets in rapid succession and useful little contributions from Saqib Khan (35 off 30 balls) and Maaz Khalid (33 off 29 balls) lifted the New Standard Secondary School total to 288. 

The target of 289 in 40 proved too steep for The City School and their task became increasingly difficult after the loss of quick wickets upfront. Umar Saleem (17 off 20 balls) and Areeb Moin Khan (14 off 16 balls) were the only ones among the top-order batsmen to reach double figures while lastman Rayyaz Rameez made 15 off as many balls. 

The City School’s innings was rocked by the spin duo of K M Nafay (4-30) and Tariq Khan (4-32) as they dismissed the last eight batsmen for the addition of only 43 runs.

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Saif-ul-Haq’s unbeaten century powers Kamran Public School in Omar Trophy Inter-School Cricket

Pakistan News & Features Services

Saif-ul-Haq’s brilliant unbeaten century powered Kamran Public School to a massive 132-run victory over Falcon House Grammar School in their Group H encounter of the Omar Trophy Inter-School Cricket Tournament 2016, being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), at the TMC Ground on October 3.

Saif-ul-Haq, adjudged Man of the Match, scored an even hundred which took the Kamran Public School total to an imposing 282 for six in the allotted 40 overs. In reply Falcon House Grammar School was bowled out for 150 in 36 overs. 

Electing to bat, after winning the toss, Kamran Public School was provided an enterprising start by Hashir Ansari (23 off 12 balls) and Hasan Jafri (21 off 18 balls) as there were flurry of boundaries in the 56-run opening partnership. 

Coming in at number four, Saif-ul-Haq sustained the momentum until the end of innings, finishing with an unbeaten 100 off 92 balls with the help of 10 fours. He was ably supported by Abdul Moiz (34 off 29 balls), Aliyan Mahmood (29 off 47 balls) and Ali Hasan (23 off 43 balls). 

Off-spinner Affan-ur-Rahman (2-26) and medium-pacer Nafay Yar Khan (2-53) were the successful bowlers for Falcon House Grammar School who didn’t help their cause by sending down 40 wides during the innings. 

Chasing a formidable target of 283 in 40 overs, Falcon House Grammar School wilted under the scoreboard pressure. Opener Sikander Ali Khan (37 off 48 balls) and Mohammad Mutawakkil (25 off 53 balls) contributed substantially but they also couldn’t force the pace. 

The clinical bowling performance of Kamran Public School conjured a resounding win for their side. Medium-pacers Hammad Ahmed and Anas Ilyas set the tone by picking early wickets with the new ball and the issue was wrapped up by the spin trio of Mohammad Ovais (4-35), Ubaidullah Khan (2-14) and Ali Hasan (2-20).

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Indo-Pak veteran cricket series called off

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA) has cancelled its upcoming tour to India amid escalating tensions between the South Asian neighbours.

Fawad Ijaz Khan, Chairman, PVCA, has announced that, in view of the prevailing tense conditions at the Indo-Pak border, the series which was due to be held in India during the months of December 2016 and January 2017 stood cancelled. 

“The PVCA had planned to send its Over-50 veterans squad to play four in the Indian state of Kerala from December 26 to January 3. The proposed tour included a couple of 50-overs-a-side contests besides as many Twenty20 games. We were going there upon the invitation from the Board of Veterans in India (BVI),” he disclosed. 

“All the four matches were scheduled to be staged in Kerala which is the busiest centre of veteran cricket activities in India as they also organize the veteran league tournaments regularly,” he added. 

The PVCA Chairman disclosed that the decision of cancelling the tour of India has been conveyed to the BVI. 

The decision of the PVCA has come just a day after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to not place India and Pakistan in the same group during upcoming international events. The two teams are currently scheduled to play each other in the ICC Champions Trophy to be held next year in June in England. 

Previously the BCCI had ruled out the possibility of an Indo-Pak bilateral series although as of late no proposal from either side was made for a bilateral series. There hasn’t been a complete bilateral series between the Asian cricketing giants since 2007-08. The BCCI statement seemed to have cemented the notion that they were unwilling to play a series with Pakistan in the foreseeable future.

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Ahmed Farooq’s sensational eight-wicket haul drives Karachi Public School in Omar Trophy Inter-School Cricket

Pakistan News & Features Services

Left-arm spinner Ahmed Farooq’s record-breaking haul of eight wickets powered Karachi Public School to an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Al Hameed Secondary School in their Group F encounter at the Eastern Star Ground while Happy Palace School whipped Zaheer Public School by 134 runs in their Group B fixture at the Hussain Lawai Naya Nazimabad Stadium in the Omar Trophy Inter-School Cricket Tournament 2016, being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), on September 29.

Karachi Public School’s Ahmed Farooq set a new tournament record by claiming eight wickets, giving away only 18 runs in his spell of 7.4 overs two of which were maidens. He followed it up with an unbeaten 30 off 33 balls to cap one of the best all-round performances in the history of the competition. 

Ahmed Farooq’s devastating spell of left-arm spin bowling sent Al Hameed Secondary School crashing to 66 all out in 21.4 overs as they lost their last nine wickets for only 17 runs after opener Mehrab Khan (23 off 34 balls) and Hamza Iqbal (23off 37 balls) had added 48 for second wicket. 

Chasing a modest target of 67 in 40 overs, Karachi Public School lost both the openers cheaply to medium-pacer Haseebuddin before Ahmed Farooq closed the deal with his steady knock as the winning runs came in only the 13th over. 

Happy Palace School completed a cakewalk victory over Zaheer Public School, after having compiled a total of 235 for nine in the allotted 40 overs, 

They were put on top by the 134-run third wicket partnership between Shafiq Ahmed (81 off 111 balls) and Sameer Khan Khan (56 off 72 balls) after both the openers had been run out by the brilliance of Mohammad Saad. 

Zaheer Public School’s medium-pacers Mohammad Bilal (3-21) and Syed Essa (2-34) stemmed the flow of runs in the closing stages by picking up crucial wickets which limited the total below 250. 

But the task of scoring 236 in 40 overs beyond the reach of the Zaheer Public School batsmen and they were bowled out for 101 in 18.3 overs. Only Mohammad Adnan (22 off 26 balls) and Mohammad Saad (20 off 21 balls) could enter double figures as the wickets kept on falling regularly. 

Medium-pacers Hamza Qureshi (2-23) and Sharif Shakeel (2-26) were the pick of the Happy Palace School bowlers but Man of the Match award was clinched by their number three batsman Shafiq Ahmed for his knock of 81.

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Al-Fatima School overcome Mubashir Nawaz’s century, three-for in Omar Trophy Inter-School Cricket

Pakistan News & Features Services

Mubashir Nawaz’s rare double of a century and three-wicket haul went in vain as Al-Fatima School edged out The Educator School by one wicket in the nail-biting Group D tie of the Omar Trophy Inter-School Cricket Tournament 2016, being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), at the KCCA Stadium on September 28.

In the day’s other matches, St Patrick High School overwhelmed Behbud Boys Secondary School by 95 runs in the Group G encounter at the Hill Park Ground while Oasis English School defeated Khan Secondary School by 43 runs in the Group D fixture at the Eastern Star Ground. 

But it was the contest between Al-Fatima School and The Educator School which produced the most absorbing battle and the best all-round individual performance yet during the competition.

Opener Mubashir Nawaz stroked 11 boundaries in his superlative knock of 109 off 108 balls to enable The Educator School install a respectable total of 199. He fought a lone battle against the Al-Fatima School bowlers as the innings was dented by off-spinners Waqas Ansari (4-42) and Fahad Ali (2-25) besides medium-pacer Kafeel Khan (2-26). 

Chasing a target of 200 in 40 overs, Al-Fatima School got off to a cracking start through the opening pair of Kamal Khan (50 off 50 balls) and Kafeel Khan (28 off 37 balls), who added 79 for the first wicket in quick time. It was the leg-spin of Mubashir Nawaz (3-34) and Zaid Bin Haris (2-29) which brought The Educator School back in the game.

Fierce battle ensued between bat and ball ensued in the final phase even after a cameo from Syed Hunail (36 off 23 balls) and the outcome remained in doubt until the last pair got Al-Fatima School over the line. The consolation for The Educator School was Man of the Match award for Mubashir Nawaz. 

Opener Mohammad Usman’s brilliant 89 off 88 balls with the help of one six and 11 fours alongwith useful contributions from Basit Kaleem (44 off 26 balls), Sharjeel Ahmed (30 off 16 balls) and Exxon John (30 off 46 balls) allowed St Patrick High School to post an impressive total of 258 for eight in 40 overs against Behbud Boys Secondary School. 

St Patrick High School’s all-rounders Sharjeel Ahmed (4-19) and Mohammad Usman (2-30) also starred with the ball to send Behbud Boys Secondary School tumbling to 163 all out in 30.1 overs with none of the batsmen getting past 30. Mohammad Usman was adjudged Man of the Match. 

Electing to bat, after winning the toss, Oasis English School was all out for 196 against Khan Secondary School. The score was made possible largely by Abdullah (31 off 56 balls), Shah Faisal (27 off 30 balls), Adnan Khan (23 off 33 balls) and Shoaib Roz (22 off 33 balls) as they were tested by the spin trio of Sher Bahadur (3-31), Wajid Khan (2-24) and Majid Aslam (2-29). 

Set a target of 197 in 40 overs, Khan Secondary School’s innings couldn’t gain momentum after both the openers were removed early by medium-pacer Adnan Khan. The pressure was sustained by left-arm spinner Abdul Mannan (3-24), who was declared Man of the Match, and off-spinner Shoaib Roz (2-34). Rashid Khan’s 38 off 34 balls with the help of one six and four fours briefly revived Khan Secondary School’s hopes before they were bowled out for 153 in 36.1 overs.

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Zeeshan Secondary School, Qadri Model School triumph in Omar Trophy Inter-School Cricket

Pakistan News & Features Services

Zeeshan Secondary School and Qadri Model School overcame their respective rivals in the Group C encounters of the Omar Trophy Inter-School Cricket Tournament 2016, being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA).

Zeeshan Secondary School defeated St Paul English High School by four wickets at the KCCA Stadium and Qadri Model School overwhelmed Qamar-e-Bani Hashim School by six wickets at the TMC Ground to inch closer towards securing a place in the quarter-finals. 

Electing to bat first, after winning the toss, St Paul English High School scored 185 for nine in the allotted 40 overs against Zeeshan Secondary School. 

St Paul English High School was helped by 51 extras, inclusive of 38 wides while Sohaib Sameer (30 off 49 balls) and opener Umar Abdullah (27 off 51) were the leading scorers and the wickets were shared between off-spinner Mohammad Muneeb (2-27) and medium pacers Mohammad Faizan (2-27) and Mohammad Bilal (2-30). 

Chasing a target of 186 in 40 overs, Zeeshan Secondary School was in a spot of bother at 63 for three before being rescued by Mohammad Muneeb and Haris Ijaz, who added 65 for the fourth wicket. Mohammad Muneeb departed after scoring 30 off 46 balls but Haris Ijaz, adjudged Man of the Match, continued to dominate the bowling and his 47-ball 69 with the help of two sixes and seven fours turned the tide decisively in Zeeshan Secondary School’s favour. 

He added another 51 for the fifth wicket with Mohammad Bilal, who returned undefeated on 21 off 26 balls as the winning runs came in the 33rd over. 

Abdul Basit’s fine all-round performance helped Qadri Model School to overpower Qamar-e-Bani Hashim School in the other match of the day. 

Qamar-e-Bani Hashim School, who batted first, was bowled out for 97 in 23.1 overs with Mr Extras (25) being the topscorer. Opener Mohammad Taqi (17 off 28 balls) and Haider Ali Zaidi (17 off 19 balls) offered some resistance but they lost their nine wickets for only 51. 

Medium-pacer Auranzeb Ahmed (3-29) was the pick of the Qadri Model School bowlers with the spin trio of Abdul Basit (2-15), Saad Bin Yousuf (2-15) and Azizullah (2-18) doing the rest. 

Qadri Model School needed only 9.5 overs to knock off the target 98 with Abdul Basit, making 32 off 20 balls with the help of one six and five fours, leading the victory charge. He was declared Man of the Match.

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