Ansari was buoyed by this year’s performances in the tournament which, according to him, showed that sportsmen with disabilities were growing in confidence. PHOTO COURTESY: PDCA
Electing to bat first, Hyderabad were restricted on 87 in 18.4 overs as man of the match Haris, who only has one hand, completely dismantled Hyderabad with his brilliant spell, while he was supported by Majid Hussain, who claimed four wickets, and Jahanzeb Tiwana, who dismissed one batsman.
Chasing 88, Multan reached the target in just 8.4 overs as all-rounder Tiwana scored an unbeaten knock of 46 runs along with Matloob Qureshi, who contributed 21 runs. Hyderabad’s Zubair Khan claimed one wicket.
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“This is a great moment for me. I have always dreamt of playing at the National Stadium of Karachi and taking wickets in the semi-final of a national tournament is a proud moment for me and my family,” Haris told The Express Tribune. “My aim is to do everything in my power to make Multan the national champions and then hopefully secure my place in the national disabled cricket team as well.”
Meanwhile, in the second semi-final, two half-centuries by skipper Arif Richard and Waheed Khan guided Karachi to an eight-wicket win over Islamabad.
Electing to bat first, Islamabad posted 142 runs in their allotted 20 overs as Muhammad Kalam took three wickets while Sher Ali and Junaid Khan scored 33 and 27 runs respectively for Islamabad.
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Chasing 143, Karachi reached the target with eight balls to spare as Waheed scored an unbeaten knock of 55 runs along with Richard, who made 56.
“We, as hosts, are happy to reach the final and are looking forward to win the championship,” Richard told The Express Tribune. “The defending champions were out in the quarter-final stage, which shows that the talent in our city is coming forward.”
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Talking about the progress of disabled cricket in the country, Pakistan Disabled Cricket Association (PDCA) secretary Amiruddin Ansari said, “The players have improved a lot [as compared to the last edition] and it’s gladdening to see new faces in the mix. This proves that people with disability are growing in confidence and that pleases the heart.”
The final will be played between Karachi and Multan on Saturday at the National Stadium of Karachi.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2015.
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