Lahore Lions lift Shehriyar Cup

Syaed Taqiuddin

RIYADH — Lahore Lions claimed the Shehriyar Mirza Memorial Super League Cup beating Pak Shaheen by six wickets here recently.

In other finals Champions Kricket Klub beat Amir Holidays by seven wickets to bag the Premier League-1 crown, while Riyadh Warriors won the Premier League-2 title beating Saham Cricket Club by 13 runs.

Electing to bat, Pak Shaheen kept losing wickets at regular intervals and was bowled out for 160. Javed (38), Faisal (27) and Qadir (22) were the only batsman to put up some resistance against Lahore Lion bowlers. Mansoor was the wrecker-in-chief bagging three wickets conceding 49 runs. He was well supported by Salman Butt (2-41), Nawaz (2-14) and Jamshed (2-44).

Chasing an easy target, Lahore Lions helped by Sarfaraz (23), Omar Zafar (46) and Salman Butt (32) romped home in 25 overs for the loss of four wickets. Mansoor was declared the Man of the Match for his brilliant bowling.

In the second match, Amir Holidays took the strike first against Champions Kricket Klub (CKK) and scored 175. Imran claimed 4-24 and was ably supported by Nadeem (2-19). Chasing a stiff target, CKK’s Najeeb Asghar hit 87 not out with the help of ten boundaries and two sixes. Iftikhar (36) and Nadeem (20 not out) were the other notable scorers. Najeeb Asghar was declared the Man of the Match.

In the Premier League-2 final, Riyadh Warriors overcame stiff resistance from Saham to lift the title. Batting first, Man-of-the-Match Shaik Premnawaz put an all-round performance (67 and 2-19) to help Riyadh Warriors score 186-5. Asif (29), Sameer (21) and Majid (21) were the notable batsman. For Saham, Majid (2-27) and Yasir (2-27) were the main wicket-takers. Chasing the target, Saham lost its openers in quick succession. Nasir (66) and Tahir (24) then tried to steady the innings, but once they were out wickets fell like ten pins. Saham was restricted to 173-8. Shaik Premnawaz, Abdul Gaffoor and Abdul Rahim bagged two wickets each conceding 19, 30 and 15 runs respectively.

Brief Scores:
Pak Shaheen 156 – Javed 38, Faisal 27, Qadir 22, Salman Butt 2-41, Mansoor 3-49, M. Nawaz 2-14, Jamshed 2-44; lost to Lahore Lions 160-4 – Omar Zafar 46, Sarfaraz 23, Salman Butt 32.

Amir Holidays – 175 Nadeem 2-19 Imran 4-24, lost to CKK – 176-3 – Najeeb Asghar 87 not out, Iftikhar 36, Nadeem 20 Not out.

Riyadh Warriors 186-5 – Asif 29, Sheikh Premnawaz 87 not out, Sameer 21, Majid 21, Majid 2-27, Yasir 2-33, beat Saham 173-8 – Naser 66, Tahir 24, Shaikh Premnawaz 2-19, Abdul Gaffoor 2-30, Abdul Rahim 2-15.