Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Thursday that the aim of organizing inter-school tournaments is to bring out new and young talent in the country.
Addressing a gathering at the Naya Nazimabad Stadium in Karachi on conclusion of the PCB Naya Nazimabad Inter-School Championship, the PCB chairman announced a prize of Rs 5 million for the winning team and Rs 2.5 million for the runner-up team. He expressed hope that more quality cricketing talent would emerge from Karachi through such initiatives.
Naqvi said that inter-school tournaments are currently being organized only in Lahore and Karachi, adding that the PCB plans to hold one event each with the winning teams to further encourage young players.
Speaking about infrastructure development, the PCB chairman announced that upgradation work at the National Stadium Karachi will begin immediately after the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He stated that a better stadium would be built in Karachi than Lahore.
He said that once the new ground is completed, the people of Karachi will once again head to the stadium in large numbers, boosting cricket culture and fan engagement in the city.
Earlier, Five Star School beat Beaconhouse School by a thumping 84-run margin to win the PCB Naya Nazimabad Inter-School Championship.
The winners bagged a cash prize of PKR 1 million, while the runners up pocketed PKR 500,000 apart from the trophies. The final also marked the end of the 31-match 40-over tournament among the best eight schools in Karachi.
Pacer Abdullah Ahmed Butt of Five Star School wreaked havoc with the ball taking figures of five for 16 in seven overs to skittle Beaconhouse for a mere 50 in 20.4 overs. Beaconhouse found themselves in trouble right from the start as they slipped to 17-5 in 9.5 overs with Abdullah removing the top four batters.
Muhammad Saad Shahzad was the lone batter to enter double figures for Beaconhouse as he scored 22 off 21 balls hitting four fours. Apart from Abdullah’s game-changing spell, Muhammad Murtaza Taqi bagged two wickets for Five Star.
Earlier, Five Star won the toss and elected to bat first before losing their opening batter Haider Ali in just the third over of the innings with 13 runs on the board. No.3 batter Abdul Nafay top-scored with 35 off 21 balls striking four fours and two sixes, while Mohammad Zaid and Muhib Imran contributed 16 and 17 runs, respectively.
Five Star’s no.9 batter Nabeel Khan stayed in the middle for 49 balls scoring 22 with the help of a solitary boundary as his team was bowled out for 134 in 36.3 overs. Beaconhouse School’s Hamza Nadeem bagged four for four for 23 in eight overs.
Scores in brief:
Five Star School beat Beaconhouse School by 84 runs at the Naya Nazimabad Cricket Stadium, Karachi
Five Star School 134 all out, 36.3 overs (Abdul Nafay 35, Nabeel Khan 22; Hamza Nadeem 4-23)
Beaconhouse 50 all out, 20.4 overs (Muhammad Saad Shahzad 22; Abdullah Ahmed Butt 5-16, Muhammad Murtaza Taqi 2-1)
Player of the match – Abdullah Ahmed Butt (Five Star School)
Best wicketkeeper-batter of the tournament – Mohammad Yaqoob Sonija (Five Star School – 293 runs and 11 dismissals)
Best bowler of the tournament – Abdullah Ahmed Butt (Five Star School – 25 wickets)
Player of the tournament - Hamza Nadeem (Beaconhouse - 252 runs and 17 wickets)
Best fielder of the tournament – Mohammad Aqil (Hira Foundation)