Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed in footsteps of their senior men’s teams when they annexed the National U13 Cup title by defeating Southern Punjab by two wickets at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi on Sunday.
Southern Punjab, batting first after winning the toss, scored 147 in 30 overs. In turn, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa slipped to 92 for seven before recovering to overhaul the target in 27.5 overs with two wickets to spare.
Nafees Akhtar scored 44 not out and put on 49 valuable runs with Naveed Arbab (26) to take his side home. Nafees faced 57 balls and hit five fours.
Earlier, Southern Punjab opener Mohammad Umar scored 56 from 76 balls with seven fours to lift his side to 147. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Zulkfal Zain took three wickets for 13 runs, while Naveed and Nafees took two wickets apiece to complete a good day with the bat and the ball.
This was Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s fourth title in 12 months. Last year, they had won the Pakistan Cup as part of the 2020-21 season and in the 2021-22 season, they have clinched the National T20, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and National U19 Cup.
On Monday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will have an opportunity to add another trophy to their cabinet when their Whites will take on Southern Punjab Blues in the National U16 final at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
For the victory, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa received PKR350,000 while Southern Punjab received PKR250,000. Southern Punjab’s Mohammad Umar (198 runs) was adjudged the best batter, Junaid Khan won the best bowler’s prize for his 13 wickets and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Zinul Abideen was declared the best wicketkeeper. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Akbar Ali was declared the player of the tournament for scoring 208 runs. He also took 11 wickets in the tournament.
Scores in brief:
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Southern Punjab by two wickets at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi
Southern Punjab 147 all out, 30 overs (Mohammad Umar 56, Abdul Rehman 21 not out, Zulkfal Zain 3-13, Naveed Arbab 2-23, Nafees Akhtar 2-26)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 149-8, 27.5 overs (Nafees Akhtar 44 not out, Naveed Arbab 26, Mohammad Zaid 20, Abdul Rehman 2-31)
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