Australian High Commissioner Margaret Adamson, Serena Hotels CEO Aziz Boolani, PSH head Zammurd Khan and PCB officials pose with Pakistan Sweets Homes team at the closing ceremony. PHOTO: EXPRESS
SOS School Islamabad beat Mashal Model School in the final of a two-day girls’ cricket tournament here on Sunday.
The PCB-AHC Girls’ Cricket Cup was hosted by the Serena Hotels in association with the Australian High Commission (AHC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Apart from the SOS School and Mashal Model School, teams from Pakistan Sweet Homes (PSH) and the National Special Education Centre also took part in the tournament.
PCB held a five-day caching camp for the teams prior to the tournament. A round-robin competition was held on Saturday and semi-finals and the final on Sunday.
Australian High Commissioner Margaret Adamson, who was the chief guest at the closing ceremony, said that cricket was a very popular sport both in Australia and Pakistan.
“Cricket in Pakistan and Australia is a shared passion for boys and girls, men and women, and provides a wonderful vehicle for promoting and highlighting the importance of gender equality in sport and beyond,” said Adamson.
“Cricket diplomacy is an important part of our engagement here. We are delighted to have organised a cricket tournament for girls,” she said.
Adamson said that the event engaged school children, giving them an opportunity to have fun and to build their physical and mental capacities.
“I have seen some wonderful batting, bowling and catches [being taken], and I congratulate each one of you girls,” said the high commissioner.
The Serena Hotels CEO, Aziz Boolani, said that the intention behind organising the tournament was to create harmony and to provide children an opportunity to know each other.
“These children are the real role models. They are the future leaders. They need our encouragement and support,” said Boolani.
“Our commitments to gender empowerment through sports initiatives found expression in the PCB-AHC Girls’ Cricket Cup as we truly believe that sports are a means to encourage healthy lifestyles, peace, tolerance and teamwork,” he added.
The PSH Patron-in-Chief, Zammurd Khan, also spoke at the closing ceremony.
He said that the PSH were currently hosting 3,000 children across the country.
Shabnam from SOS School won player of the tournament and player of the final match awards.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2016.
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