T20 match of Swat Super League concludes

Eight teams from Swat participated which were divided in to two groups, named after traditional names in Swat

MINGORA: A T20 match of Swat Super League concluded in Mingora on Saturday. The final match was played at Grassy Ground, in which Shamezai Baryali clinched the title by defeating the team, Elum Batoran.

“Such tournaments are extremely good for exploring new talent in cricket,” Jamaluddin, captain of the winning team, said while receiving the trophy.

The skipper of Elum Batoran, Rahmat Ali, appreciated the match that was held on the format of Pakistan Super League. “The move will allow young cricketers to emerge at national and international levels.”

On the pitch

The toss for the final match was won by captain of Elum Batoran, who chose to bowl first. Kishwar Ali, of Elum Batoran, took four wickets and conceded 27 runs in his three overs. Shamezai Baryali, in their total quota of 20 overs, scored 179 runs. Jamaluddin, the captain of Shamezai Baryali, made 67 runs, while Jalil Khan scored 52, during which he managed to hit six sixes and a four.

Elum Batoran decided to chase down the target of 180 without resorting to aggressive strokes whereas the bowlers of Shamezai Baryali maintained a tight line and length, not allowing the players of Elum Batoran to make runs easily. Akbar Hussain, played well for his 52 runs and resisted a lot. Along with him, Riaz Khan and the skipper also made some runs but to no avail as they lost the match by seven runs. In the last over, Elum Batoran needed 20 runs but could only manage to score 14.

Eight teams from Swat participated in the tournament. All the teams where divided in to two groups. Teams were named after traditional names in Swat – Da Marghuzar Guluna, Da Nengualay Nangyalyan, Da Minadam Gulluna, Da Elum Batoran, Da Shamezai Baryali, Da Sangar Zwanan, Da Daral Story and Da Mamal Azmaray.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2016.