Training for five-nation series: Disabled side gives tough time to Karachi U19 Whites

Team loses second practice match despite valiant efforts

KARACHI: A nine-wicket win may seem like a breeze, but Karachi Whites’ U19 side had to fight hard to achieve the victory against the Pakistan Disabled Cricket Team (PDCT) during the latter’s training camp for the upcoming five-nation international tournament.

Chasing 126, Karachi U19 Whites reached the target in 17.1 overs with a loss of one wicket as unbeaten Osama Ali scored 51 off 48 balls while Khurram Taaj scored 47 off 38 balls. Fayyaz Ahmed took the lone wicket.

Earlier, PDCT managed 126-7 in their allotted 20 overs as Danish Ahmed top-scored with 39 off 37 balls and Asad Ali picked up three scalps.

Winning captain Fahaddis Bukhari said he was impressed with the quality of the disabled team’s game. “The way they play shows they have superior abilities than us not only in batting, but also in fielding, bowling and team coordination,” Bukhari told The Express Tribune.

The skipper also praised PDCT’s ‘outstanding’ spirit. “They all play with their hearts and don’t shy away from putting in all their efforts, which is clearly seen in the unexpected score they put up in 20 overs,” he said.

Meanwhile, PDCT captain Major Hasnain Alam said that the match proved to be good practice for the team. “Our first match was much weaker than the second,” said Alam. “Our team needs more practice in the nets to raise its performance.”

Alam added that handling a disabled team is strategically more difficult than a mainstream team.  “I have to see who can run fast and who can take catches according to their disability and then assign them their respective positions,” he said. “I hope that by the end of training, we will be a tough team to compete with.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th,  2015.

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