Akbar inspires Blues to Quaid Trophy triumph

Allrounder named best batsman as Karachi outfits beat Sialkot by 9 wickets.

KARACHI: Allrounder Akbarur Rehman was the star of the show as Karachi Blues defeated Sialkot by nine wickets to win the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore yesterday.

Akbar had a memorable finale, scoring 178 in the first innings and bagging three wickets in the match. He finished with impressive tournament figures of 986 runs and 22 wickets – feats that won him the man-of-the-match and best batsman of the event awards along with two cash prizes of Rs50,000 each.

Among other individual awards, Atif Maqbool of Karachi Whites was named best bowler (55 wickets), Naeem Anjum of Islamabad was the best wicketkeeper (43 dismissals) and Quetta’s Taimoor Ali was given the best fielder award (14 catches).

Sialkot started the final day at 189 for five and were bowled out for 248 despite gutsy half-centuries from Ayub Doggar (69) and skipper Mansoor Amjad (60). Tariq Haroon was the pick of the bowlers, claiming a five-wicket haul, while Anwar Ali and Akbar took two wickets apiece.

In reply, the Blues comfortably chased down the 50-run target in just 7.5 overs. Fakhar Zaman was dismissed for 20 while Khurram Manzoor (15) and Akbar (10) saw them home.

Apart from Akbar, the Blues were aided by several other top performances in the tournament as well. Fakhar Zaman (635 runs), Khurram Manzoor (516) and Mohammad Waqas (337) were impressive with the bat while the bowling was led by Tabish Khan, who took 34 wickets.

Their success was also immensely helped by the contribution of their allrounders — Tariq Haroon (290 runs and 27 wickets), Azam Hussain (205 runs and 29 wickets) and Anwar Ali (137 runs and 23 wickets) along with Akbar, all chipping in with vital contributions.

Team effort helped us land title, says Blues coach

Karachi Blues coach Azam Khan credited team effort between players and management for their title success.

He heaped praise on the management staff that included trainer Rashid Qureshi, physiotherapist Dr Usman Ghani and analyst Asim Khan, saying having the trio at his disposal eased his burden.

“The likes of Akbar, Fakhar, Khurram and Tariq were phenomenal throughout the tournament and their performances speak for themselves,” said Khan. “Credit goes to Rashid Latif as well who assembled a very balanced side.

“Also, a special shout out to our management staff, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. The roles played by our trainer and physio to keep our players fit throughout the campaign were impressive while our analysts worked on minute details to help improve our performances and work on opponents’ weaknesses. The team remained like a family and it’s a great feeling to be a part of a champion squad.”

‘Coach, players deserves credit for victory’   

Meanwhile, Karachi chief selector Rashid Latif praised the coach and players for the victory but insisted the Blues must not relax and instead, should use it as a springboard for further success.

“Khan deserves credit for monitoring unity within the team while everyone who got the chance contributed to the title campaign,” Latif told The Express Tribune from Muscat.

Latif added he enjoyed his stint and would like to continue working in the role as it provides him the opportunity to unearth talented players – who do not get a chance to play at the top level – for Karachi and eventually Pakistan.

“Akbar stood out in the event while he got support from the likes of Khurram, Fakhar, Anwar Ali, Tabish Khan and Azam Hussain. For me, Akbar and Karachi Whites’ off-spinner Atiq Maqbool are ready to play for Pakistan while Fakhar has a very bright future.”

The better team won: Ayub

Sialkot’s Ayub admitted his side was outdone by a better team in the final.

“Blues played better than us in all departments and thus became the deserving champions,” said Ayub. “They took a massive first-innings lead which proved to be a key factor in this match and we couldn’t stage a fightback. Congratulations to them.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2013.