Karachi Whites give Blues the blues

Defeat city rivals by eight wickets in one-sided final

KARACHI: A breezy innings by Umair Yousuf and three wickets by Muhammad Ali Khan helped Karachi Region Whites inflict an eight-wicket defeat over Karachi Region Blues in the final of the Inter-Region U19 One-Day Tournament at the Pindi Stadium on Sunday.

Batting first, Karachi (B), were restricted to 186 in 45.4 overs as Ali took three wickets for 38 runs, whereas Muhammad Tariq Khan claimed two scalps for 28 runs.

Haider Ali was Karachi (B)'s top scorer with a 93-ball 69, followed by Usama Butt (40) and Muhammad Zubair (37).

In reply, Karachi (W) reached their target for the loss of just two wickets and in just 25.4 overs, thanks to Yousaf's unbeaten 71-ball 81 laced with seven fours and three big maximums.

Both of Karachi (B)'s wickets were claimed by Ashir Qureshi.

“This was a great result as we were playing against our own city’s team and everyone knew each other's playing style quite well,” Yousaf told The Express Tribune.

“It was difficult to predict a winner as both teams have been outstanding throughout the tournament, but in the end we won by a huge margin, which is great achievement for the entire region."

According to Yousaf, the fact that both the finalists were from Karachi shows how much cricketing talent the metropolis has at its disposal. “There are many players who can be the part of national team,” he opined.

Muhammad Ali, the man of the match, credited the newly established cricket academy in Karachi, which in his opinion has upped the fitness levels of local players. “Getting proper gym training and other facilities has helped players groom themselves and in future many players from Karachi will feature in the national team,” he added.

The winning team bagged Rs200,000, while the runners-up were rewarded Rs100,000.

Yousaf (653 runs) was named the best batsman, Ashir Qureshi the best bowler (24 wickets) and Muhammad Taha the best all-rounder (374 runs and 21 wickets) of the tournament.