Omar Cricket Club edge out Qasmi Gymkhana to regain KG title

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Omar Cricket Club regained the title by edging out Qasmi Gymkhana by three runs in a thrilling final of the 33rd Karachi Gymkhana Ramazan Festival Twenty20 Cricket Tournament 2018 for the Omar Associates Trophy at the Karachi Gymkhana Cricket Ground on June 13.

It was in the fitness of things that the title clash turned out to be the most exciting of all 31 matches of the tournament. With four runs needed on the last ball it was anybody’s game until the very end. 

Omar CC, fielding with 10 men only, controlled its nerves better to be the deserved winners of the trophy. 

The champions, Omar CC, felt hard done, however, at the controversial decision of the umpires, Riazuddin and Muhammad Shakil, for not having allowed them a substitute fielder in place of Umar Akmal and they had to field with 10 men for the better part of their opponents’ innings.

Put into bat, Omar CC had to be content with a total of 179 for nine in the allotted 20 overs. Fine knocks from opener Ahsan Ali (44 off 25 balls), Rameez Raja (44 off 21 balls) and Danish Aziz (45 off 35 balls) allowed them to reach 110 at the halfway stage but they were unable to make the most of it. 

Qasmi Gymkhana fought back through the spin duo of Hasan Sardar (3-18) and Wasim Ali (2-41) with medium-pacer Kamran Hussain (2-26) also bowling well to limit the damage.

Set to score 180 in 20 overs, Qasmi Gymkhana got off to a sluggish start, scoring 70 in the first 10 overs and losing four wickets. But breezy knocks from Kamran Hussain (41 off 21 balls) and Faizan Ahmed (25 off 13 balls) opened up the game ensuring a tight finish. 

Left-arm spinners Muhammad Asghar (3-18), named Man of the Match, and Irfan Gohar (3-37) played the lead role in restricting Qasmi Gymkhana to 176 for eight off 20 overs. 

Nadeem Omar, President, Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA), who was the chief guest in the prize distribution ceremony, presented the winners’ trophy to the Omar CC skipper, Saad Nasim, alongwith a purse of Rupees eight lacs while a cheque of Rupees four lacs was collected with the runners-up trophy by the Qasmi Gymkhana captain, Abid Qasmi.

Arif Ali Khan Abbasi, former Chief Executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Fawad Ijaz Khan, Chairman, Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), and Mazhar Iqbal Puri, President, Karachi Gymkhana, were also present in the ceremony. 

Usman Khan of Omar CC was declared Man of the Tournament while Bilal Irshad (Qasmi Gymkhana), Faraz Ahmed Khan (Omar CC), Rameez Raja (Omar CC) and Hasan Mustafa (Qasmi Gykhahana) were adjudged as best batsman, bowler, fielder and wicketkeeper respectively. 

The total prize money of the tournament, sponsored by Omar Associates (Pvt) Ltd for the sixth year running with Agha Steel Industries, Acme Technologies and Zaraiz Atelier being the co-sponsors, was well over Rs 16 lacs which included individual awards of Rs 313,000.

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KG sports officials hurt media, Omar CC win opener

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The unprofessional attitude of the sports department of Karachi Gymkhana created problems in disseminating details of the 31st Karachi Gymkhana Ramazan Festival Twenty20 Cricket Tournament 2016, being played for the Omar Associates Trophy, which got underway on June 7. 

It had been the practice for the last many years to make the details available to the media, through electronic or digital means, as soon as the game was over much before Iftar time.

But that wasn’t the case this time round and it took the organizers nearly a couple of hours to transmit scorecard of the opening match. It was also surprising to find that neither the umpires nor the official scorer, who did the duties, had a copy of the match scoreboard. 

In the interim period, efforts were made to contact the Sports Manager of the Karachi Gymkhana but he remained inaccessible with his cell phone being continuously powered off just as it was on the evening when the draws of the tournament were taken out, resulting in inconvenience to the covering journalists. 

One of the reasons of the inaccessibility of the sports department officials was stated to be the location of their office which is housed in the basement of the club. It’s a food of thought for the club management to look into and find a solution. 

Meanwhile left-arm spinner Fawad Khan and wicketkeeper-opener Usman Khan powered Omar Cricket Club to a crucial six-wicket victory over Medicam XI in the opening match of the Omar Associates Trophy at the Karachi Gymkhana Cricket Ground on the opening day. 

Medicam XI, whose skipper Khalid Latif opted to bat after calling correctly, was bowled out for 156 on the final ball of their innings. Looking set for an imposing total after the cameo from Tasawwar Abbas (44 off 19 balls), they lost their last six wickets for only 27 runs with Fawad Khan (3-17) doing the damage. 

The 69-run opening partnership in eight overs between Usman Khan (48 off 35 balls) and Noman Anwar (31 off 24 balls) put Omar CC in a commanding position and the momentum was sustained by Mohammad Waqas and Akbar-ur-Rahman who scored 24 each. 

The clinical batting performance kept Omar CC ahead of the clock and they duly reached the target in the final over with six wickets in hand. Fawad Khan was adjudged Man of the Match for this three-wicket haul.

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Tapal Cricket Club retain Aga Khan Gymkhana Ramazan Trophy

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Tapal Cricket Club overcame the rampaging Omar Cricket Club in the high-scoring final to win the 27th Aga Khan Gymkhana Ramazan Trophy Twenty20 Cricket Tournament 2014 and retain the title in the picturesque surroundings of the Aga Khan Gymkhana on July 28. 

Arif Habib, Chairman, Arif Habib Group, was the chief guest in the presentation ceremony held at the ground immediately after the conclusion of the final. 

Prominent among those present on the occasion were Hakim Ali Khan, Chairman, Aga Khan Gymkhana, Shameez Mukhi, Chairman, Aga Khan Youth & Sports Board for Pakistan, Mohammad Iqbal, Director Sports, Naya Nazimabad, Riaz Contractor, Manager, Aga Khan Sports Centre and Amin Merchnat, ex-General Manager, Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd. 

Arif Habib presented the winner trophy with a cash award Rs three lacs to Daniyal Ahsan, captain, Tapal Cricket Club, while Adnan Kalim, skipper, Omar Cricket Club, collected the runners-up trophy with a purse of Rs two lacs. 

Ahmed Hussain of Soni Associates was adjudged Best Batman of the Tournament for scoring 201 runs while Tapal Cricket Club’s off-spinner Atif Maqbool clinched the Best Bowler award for his aggregate of 10 wickets at 16.20 apiece. Khalid Latif of Touchme XI, who aggregated 229 runs, was declared the Best Player of the Tournament. All the individual awards earned the winners Rs 10,000 each. 

The final of the tournament produced exhilarating stuff with as many as 370 runs scored of 39.3 overs. Omar CC, having remained undefeated in all the five major tournaments being held in the city during the holy month of Ramazan, seemed to have done well to post a total of 184 for four in the allotted 20 overs. 

It was being generally anticipated that Omar CC will win yet another tournament as their bowlers did have the capacity to defend the big total in a high-profile game. Tapal CC, however, had other ideas and they didn’t succumb to the scoreboard pressure to overhaul the target with three balls to spare. 

The 120-run opening stand between Usman Javed (72 off 42 balls) and Adnan Baig (52 off 33 balls) got the defending champions off to a flyer. Both the openers smashed 10 boundaries each to set a solid platform for the big chase. 

The momentum was sustained by the middle-order batsmen, who kept their cool and were not overawed by the occasion or by the reputation of their opponents. Fawad Alam grabbed a couple of quick wickets with his left-arm spin which only delayed the inevitable. Skipper Daniyal Ahsan remained undefeated on 22 to ensure that the good work of the openers was not undone. 

Earlier Omar CC made the most of their batting depth by scoring swiftly in the slog overs to lift the total to 184. The 72-run unbroken fifth wicket stand between Sarfaraz Ahmed (49 off 33 balls) and Fawad Alam (39 off 21 balls) seemed to have given them an iron-grip on the match but the eventual score didn’t prove adequate enough on a day which belonged to Tapal CC.

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Omar Cricket Club to take on Y J XI in Vital Five title clash after Eid

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The all-conquering Omar Cricket Club have created an unusual and unexpected situation. By qualifying for the finals of all the major cricket tournaments being held in Karachi during the month of Ramazan they have put the organizers in a spot of bother. 

Since all the finals of the month-long events were scheduled to be held around same dates, it became practically impossible for them to make an appearance in all of them simultaneously. It has led to the postponement of the final of the 3rd Vital Five T-20 Ramazan Festival Tournament 2014 which will now be staged at the DHA Vital Five Cricket Academy Ground soon after Eid holidays. Omar CC’s opponents in the final will be Y J XI. 

“We have been prompted to reschedule the final, originally planned to be held on July 27, due to the engagement of one of our finalists as well as the defending champions, Omar CC, in other tournament finals. They won’t be available even on July 28, apparently the last available day of Ramazan, which has prompted us to postpone our final for a few days. New date will be announced with mutual consent of both of the finalists,” Tournament Director, Jalaluddin, a former Test fast bowler, announced. 

Meanwhile Rameez Raja’s scintillating knock powered defending champions Omar CC into the final as they overwhelmed Tapal Cricket Club by six wickets in the semifinal. 

Rameez, who picked up Advance Telecom Man of the Match award, blasted three sixes and seven fours in his stroke-filled 53 off 24 balls while Mohammad Sami (34 off 29 balls) and Saad Nasim (32 off 20 balls) also batted freely to enable Omar CC to reach the target in 18.1 overs despite fine spell from left-arm spinner Rashid Hanif (2-29). 

Tapal CC was restricted to 157 for six in 20 overs. Left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar (3-26) and leg-spinner Nadeem Javed (2-27) pulled it back after fighting knocks from Mubashir Ahmed (55 off 49 balls), Daniyal Ahsan (32off 21 balls) and Ali Sarfaraz (24 off 22 balls). 

Y J XI had sneaked into the final by taming Vital Five Academy by 18 runs in a low-scoring semifinal. Useful contributions from Ashraf Ali (38 off 32 balls), Wajid Ali (32 off 24 balls), Gohar Ali (25 off 18 balls) and Mohammad Irfan (20 off 15 balls) plus a breezy 15 off seven balls from Fahim Ahmed, declared Man of the Match, enabled Y J XI to reach a competitive total of 155 for seven in 20 overs despite fine bowling by left-arm spinner Mustafa Iqbal (2-33) and medium-pacer Waqar Anwar (2-37). 

Vital Five Academy lost wickets at regular intervals against the quintet of left-arm spinners, led by Yaqzan Rajput (3-36) and Osama Basharat (2-19). Even a defiant knock from Faisal Mubashir (48 off 41 balls) could not revive them and they were restricted to 137 for nine in 20 overs to get eliminated from the competition.

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Omar Cricket Club retain KG Festival tourney

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Omar Cricket Club retained the title by edging out K-Electric by nine runs in the low-scoring final of the 29th edition of the Karachi Gymkhana Omar Associates Ramazan Festival Twenty20 Cricket Tournament 2014 at the KG Cricket Ground on July 27. 

Batting first, Omar CC recovered to post a total of 145 for six in the allotted 20 overs with Sarfaraz Ahmed’s unbeaten 33 off 22 balls being the highest contribution. Anwar Ali played a little cameo of 25 off 15 balls while Hafiz Saad Nasim remaining undefeated on 23 off 10 balls and Khurram Manzoor making 21 off 20 balls. 

K-Electric was restricted to 136 for nine after an absorbing contest between bat and ball. Shahid Khan (31 off 24 balls), Faraz Ali (25 off 26 balls) and Tariq Haroon (20 off 20 balls) got a start but neither of them could finish the game as Omar CC fought back through medium-pacer Asif Raza (3-22) and the spin duo of Zulfiqar Babar (2-25) and Adnan Kalim (2-31). 

Nadeem Omar, Managing Director, Omar Associates (Pvt) Ltd, who was the chief guest in the prize distribution ceremony held immediately after the conclusion of the final, presented a cheque of Rs five lacs to the winning captain, Adnan Kalim, while total cash awards of Rupees one million were disbursed on the occasion. 

Asif Raza’s fine all-round performance had enabled the defending champions to storm into the final when outwitted Eaton Cricket Club by 32 runs in the rain-curtailed semifinal on July 25. 

Batting first, Omar CC managed 125 for nine in the allotted 17 overs with Hafiz Saad Nasim (26 off 23 balls), Anwar Ali (21 off 15 balls), Asif Raza (21 off 8 balls), presented Man of the Match award by chief guest Jahangir Moghul, and Omar Siddiq (21 off 27 balls) chipped in with crucial knocks as the batsmen were tested by the spin duo of Saadat Munir (4-33) and Fahad Anjum (2-29). 

Eaton CC could not get on top of the penetrative bowling to be skittled for 93 in 16.3 overs with only Ali Jawwad (27 off 30 balls), Nadeem Javed (17 off 15 balls) and Fahad Anjum (14 off 10 balls) offering some resistance as the innings was wrecked by the quartet of Zulfiqar Babar (3-29), Anwar Ali (2-8), Faraz Ahmed (2-9) and Asif Raza (2-22). 

K-Electric had cruised into the final by having overwhelmed Advance Telecom by seven wickets in the other semifinal on July 26. 

Put into bat, Advance Telecom struggled against the slow bowlers to reach a total of 133 for nine in 20 overs in which Sohail Khan (22 off 14 balls), Mohammad Yasin (21 off 20 balls) and Asif Ali (18 off 19 balls) contributed anything of note. 

Off-spinners Shahid Khan (2-11) and Misbah Khan (2-30) were well supported by the quartet of Fawad Khan, Osama Basharat, Rizwan Khan and Saud Shakil, all of whom got a wicket each. 

Opener Faraz Ali, adjudged Man of the Match, smashed a couple of sixes and seven boundaries in his 70 off 51 balls which allowed K-Electric to reach the target comfortably with 2.1 overs to spare. Off-spinner Nasir Owais (2-14) was the pick of the Advance Telecom bowlers.

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Arif Habib’s visionary leadership creates magnificent Naya Nazimabad Lawai Stadium

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

It’s the vision of Arif Habib, besides his passion for cricket, which has led to the creation of the magnificent Naya Nazimabad Lawai Stadium which has nearly all the ingredients of becoming a world-class venue in not too distant future.

One of the leading entrepreneurs of the country having a played a pivotal role in keeping the Pakistan economy afloat even in the toughest of times, Arif Habib, Chairman, Arif Habib Group, has played a master stroke by developing a cricket ground of international standard in his latest project, the Naya Nazimabad City, a 2,100-acre housing scheme in the northern area of Karachi. 

He is believed to have masterminded the development of the cricket stadium on a fast track which has earned huge goodwill to the mega project in many ways. The first thing one comes across after entering the main gate of the Naya Nazimabad city is the picturesque cricket stadium, which already has floodlights. You could not expect a better first impression of the project other than this one. 

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.

Cricket has been the first love for Arif Habib and he has made a point to play matches at the Naya Nazimabad Lawai Stadium on Sundays whenever he’s in town. 

He derives enormous pleasure in driving down from his DHA residence in the morning and takes the cricket game as seriously as any other assignment even today. 

“The principles of cricket are very effective in business. The goal is to stay at the wicket, hit the right balls, leave the balls that don’t quite work, and keep an eye on the scoreboard. I feel that my childhood association with cricket has contributed to my success,” Arif Habib was famously quoted as saying. 

The Naya Nazimabad Lawai Stadium has been named after Hussain Lawai, President, Summit Bank Limited, in recognition and honour of his support and passion for cricket. Indeed he has been a great promoter of sports over the years. The credit for turning Arif Habib’s dream of the Naya Nazimabad Lawai Stadium into reality goes to Mohammad Iqbal, Director, Javedan Corporation Limited, whose expertise and skills for sports administration are well known.

Iqbal, a former first-class cricketer, headed the sports division of the Muslim Commercial Bank, now MCB Bank, for a number of years. 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). 

It’s another far-sighted decision by the management of the Javedan Corporation Limited to have entrusted the responsibilities of managing the affairs of the cricket stadium in particular to Iqbal, who has a proven track record in this field. 

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. 

Samad A Habib, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Javedan Corporation Limited, was the chief guest in the prize distribution ceremony held at the ground immediately after the conclusion of the final. Mohammad Iqbal, one of the Directors of the corporation, was also present on the occasion.

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Omar Cricket Club complete grand slam by annexing Naya Nazimabad’s Peace Cup

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

What a fascinating sight it has been to witness the flood-lit matches on the very pleasant nights of Karachi at the picturesque Naya Nazimabad Lawai Stadium whose settings resemble to those lovely cricket grounds of Australia and South Africa. 

Arif Habib, Chairman, Arif Habib Group, deserves the credit for having developed such a magnificent cricket stadium in remarkably short span of time. His passion for the gentleman's game is well known and he has done a great service to the cricket enthusiasts of Karachi by gifting this wonderful ground to them.

The inaugural edition of the Peace Cup Twenty20 Cricket Tournament 2013, contested by some of the leading outfits of city, alongwith a few outstations ones, came to an end recently after the majority of the matches had been staged during the Holy month of Ramazan. 

The Naya Nazimabad Peace Cup remained a spectacle for the participating cricketers as well as the large number of spectators who thoroughly enjoyed the close contests and, most significantly, complete ‘peace’ was observed in every match. 

Omar Cricket Club extended their purple patch by winning the Peace Cup Twenty20 Cricket Tournament 2013 as they outwitted Qasmi Cricket Club by four runs in the tensely fought final on yet another beautiful night at the Naya Nazimabad Lawai Stadium. 

Left-handed batsman Shaharyar Ghani and left-arm pacer Rumman Rais Khan were the stars of the final as Omar CC, despite a hat-trick by off-spinner Haris Ayaz, continued their march towards glory by annexing fifth local tournament. It was another feature in the cap of Nadeem Omar whose Omar Associates and Omar CC have dominated the local cricket scene. 

Batting first, Omar CC was bowled out for 134 on the final ball of their innings. Shaharyar Ghani was the top scorer with 48 off 31 balls, hammering two sixes and four fours. Fakhar Zaman (32 not out) and Akbar-ur-Rahman (31) ensured a fighting total after the innings was rocked by the spin trio of Haris Ayaz (3-31), Wasim Ali (2-15) and Fahim Ahmed (2-24). 

Qasmi CC failed in their pursuit of reaching the target of 135 although fine knocks from Zakir Malik (31), Mohammad Rizwan (25), Tariq Haroon (20) and Waqas Haroon (20) put them at striking distance. The raw pace of Rumman Rais Khan made the difference in the end as the youngster claimed four wickets for 15 runs to limit Qasmi CC to 130 for nine in 20 overs. Adnan Kalim (2-14) and Misbah Khan (2-20) also bowled superbly in what turned out to be a low-scoring thriller. 

The prize distribution ceremony, in which cash awards of more than Rupees half a million were disbursed, was held at the ground immediately after the conclusion of the final with Samad A Habib, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Javedan Corporation Limited, being the chief guest of the night. Mohammad Iqbal, a former cricketer and Director of the corporation, also graced the occasion alongwith some other officials of the company, who had worked tirelessly to make the tournament a success story. 

A total of 16 teams took part in the tournament and they were divided equally in four groups for the first round. The top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout stage of the competition having started with the quarter-finals.

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