KARACHI: Rashid Latif Cricket Academy (RLCA) from Karachi will be taking on Okara in the final of the 19th National Seniors Cup Cricket Tournament 2017-18, being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), here at the Lawai Naya Nazimabad on Sunday (today).

Both RLCA and Okara have entered the national final of the Seniors Cup for the first time after having emerged as the champions in the Southern Region and the Northern Region respectively.

With the final, the curtain will fall to the annual tournament which was contested by a total of 103 teams. The tournament is being sponsored by Omar Associates with Naya Nazimabad and State Life Insurance Company of Pakistan being the co-sponsors.

This season’s National Seniors Cup has witnessed the emergence of some powerful new outfits, having succeeded in going all the way to the final at the expense of the fancied teams in their respective regions.

Skipper Asim Jah, with his brilliant all-round performance, had played the key role for RLCA in the Southern region final in which they overpowered former champions Gold Bridge Media by 28 runs.

Put into bat, RLCA posted an impressive total of 250 for eight in the allotted 30 overs. Gold Bridge Media, aiming to regain the regional title they had won annexed a couple of seasons ago, lost their last five wickets for 21 runs to be bowled out for 222 in 28.4 overs.

The 2015-16 regional champions were derailed by the left-arm spin of Abdul Qadir (4-19) who was well supported by the captain himself whose off-spin fetched him three wickets for 39 runs.

Meanwhile it was Mohammad Hafeez’s brilliant all-round performance which played the key role in guiding Okara to their maiden triumph against Wah Power in the Northern region final.

Wah Power had posted a respectable total of 238 for eight in the allotted 30 overs but Okara reached the target of 239 in 28.1 overs with five wickets in hand.

Substantial contributions from Asif Naeem (36 off 30 balls), Mohammad Pervez (35 off 21 balls), Khurram Shahzad (28 off 20 balls) and Rashid Latif (25 off 23 balls) kept Wah Power’s score moving but it was unbeaten Yousuf Khan’s 66 off 47 balls with the help of three sixes and as many fours which lifted the total to a competitive 238 despite fine bowling from the spin duo of Mohammad Anis (3-58) and Mohammad Hafeez (2-34).

Chasing a target of 239, Okara got off to a blazing start through opener Kashif Bajwa who cracked two sixes and nine fours in his 59 off 39 balls. Then came the match winning partnership between Mohammad Hafeez and Irshad Ahmed, who added 103 for third wicket.

Irshad Ahmed perished after scoring 39 off 35 balls while Mohammad Hafeez finished the job with an unconquered 76 off 52 balls hitting two sixes and 11 fours. Wah Power’s Yousuf Khan followed up his half century by picking up a couple of wickets with his off-spin but his performance was not enough to change the course of the game.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2018