Khan Secondary School enter HBL Inter-Schools cricket quarter-finals

Pakistan News & Features Services

Khan Secondary School became the first team to reach the quarter-finals of the HBL Inter-Schools Cricket Tournament 2014, being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA). 

Khan Secondary School emerged the Group G champions by having recorded their third straight win when they defeated GBSS SITE Metroville by three wickets at the Hussain Lawai Naya Nazimabad Stadium. In another match, New Oxford Grammar School overwhelmed City School North Nazimabad by nine wickets in their Group H fixture at the same venue. 

Medium-pacer Mohammad Nabil (3-26) and off-spinner Talal Bin Zafar (3-34) sent GBSS SITE Metroville crashing to 158 all out on the final ball of the innings despite fighting knocks from Shoaib Rose (52 off 70 balls) and Tahir Marwat (41 off 66 balls). 

Set to score 159 in 40 overs, Khan Secondary School found themselves in a spot of bother after losing their top four batsmen for only 30 runs. The chase was stabilized by Mohammad Rizwan (61 off 110 balls) and Saif Khan (27 off 30 balls), who added 70 for the fifth wicket. 

The match became wide open again when two wickets went down at the score of 100 and it needed brisk unbeaten knocks from Sajawal Khan (27 off 21 balls) and Faizan Shaikh (26 off 25 balls) to take Khan Secondary School over the line with only 2.4 runs remaining. The Man of the Match award, however, went to Mohammad Rizwan for his disciplined knock. 

In the other game, the New Oxford Grammar School spin duo of Alhan Wasim (5-19) and Israr Ahmed (3-19) routed City School North Nazimabad for a paltry 109 in 30.4 overs with Abdullah Saleem (26 off 49 balls), Maaz Ahmed (24 off 31 balls) and Khawaja Maaz (23 off 29 balls) offering resistance. 

Chasing a modest target of 110 in 40 overs, New Oxford Grammar School got off to a flying start as openers Hasan Masood and Chand Ahmed put on 81 in quick time. Hasan Masood fell after scoring 23 off 32 balls but Chand Ahmed remained undefeated on 51 off 34 balls with the help of eight boundaries. 

New Oxford Grammar School raced to the target in just 12.3 overs with their off-spinner Alhan Wasim picking up the Man of the Match award for his five-wicket haul.