Regional inter-district senior cricket tournament begins

KARACHI, Apr 21 (APP):The Regional Inter-District Senior Cricket Tournament (Karachi Region) commenced on Monday at various venues across the city, with batsmen dominating proceedings on the opening day of the three-day matches.

Notable performances with the bat included Muhammad Taha’s 86, Umar Farooq’s 60, Huzaifa Muneer’s 59, an unbeaten 59 by Samiullah, and Abdul Basit’s 55.

At the UBL Sports Complex, Zone-I were bowled out for 219 in 61.3 overs, with Muhammad Taha leading the scoring with 86, supported by Malik Zain-ul-Abideen’s 59 and M. Fahad’s 34. Abdul Rafay, Israr Ahmed Awan and Aliyan Mehmood claimed two wickets each.

In reply, Zone-III reached 115 for two in 33 overs at close of play, with Abdul Basit unbeaten on 55 and Syed Adil Hussain on 32.

At the KCCA Stadium, Zone-V were dismissed for 134 in 40.5 overs in their first innings. Wata Dost scored 41, while Muhammad Hassan added 32 and Muhammad Shoaib Khan made 22. Aftab Khan took three wickets, while Khafid-ul-Nabi, Najeebur Rehman and M. Usman Bin Rashid picked up two each.

In response, Zone-VII posted 237 for six in 52 overs, with Huzaifa Muneer scoring 59. Samiullah remained unbeaten on 59, while Aftab Khan was not out on 17. Saifullah and Syed Shah Raza took three wickets apiece.

In another match at the Baqai Ground, Zone-II were all out for 220 in 59.4 overs. Umar Farooq top-scored with 60, followed by Syed Shaheer (43), Wahaj Riaz (41), and M. Siddiq (31). M. Uzair Ali Khan claimed three wickets, while Afnan Khan and Talha Ahsan took two each.

At stumps, Zone-IV were 132 for six in 37 overs in their first innings, with Afnan Khan unbeaten on 40, while Muhammad Ahad scored 34 and Imran Shah made 22. Wahaj Riaz took three wickets, while M. Umar Aijaz claimed two.

The tournament will continue with further matches across the city.