Gujranwala U-19 beat Karachi U-19 by 51 runs to claim the limited overs final of the Pepsi Junior Under 19 Tournament (Grade I) played at the lush green KRL cricket ground, Rawalpindi. The four-day final between the two teams would be played at the same venue from tomorrow.

Put into bat by Karachi Under-19s, Gujranwala Under-19s lost their first wicket with just 20 runs on the board. A second wicket partnership of 103 between Atiq-ur-Rehman and Kamran Younis at this stage did not only take their score to safety but it also seemed that Gujranwala will be able to post a huge total.

However, with the fall of Atiq at the individual score of 54, the Gujranwala players appeared to have lost their way. It was not long after that the wicket of dangerous looking Kamran was also taken at the score of 147. Kamran played a fine knock of 63 off 91 balls.

With both Kamran and Atiq now back in the pavilion, the Gujranwala batsmen could not find enough grit and determination to take their side to a big total. Naeem-ud-Din, the stylish left-hander, was the only other player who could take his score past 20. However, he too was slow in batting as he took 49 balls to reach 21 runs.

The rest of the Gujranwala batsmen just gave in under the pressure applied by Karachi players’ good fielding and bowling. They could gather a total of only 41 in the last 10 overs as they lost 6 wickets during this period. The Gujranwala innings came to a close at 218 in the 48.5 overs.

Azam Hussain, the left-arm spinner from Karachi, took three wickets for 41 runs in 9 overs. The other successful bowlers were Faraz Ahmed and Aftab Ahmed with figures of 3/47 and 1/34, respectively. The other three wickets to fall were all run outs.

Requiring 219 to win in their 50 overs, the Karachi side started off aggressively despite losing the early wicket of Khalid Latif at the score of 16. They reached their fifty in only the 6th over without any further success for the fielding side.

However, with the loss in quick succession of Mohammad Farooq, the skipper of the Karachi side and Mushtaq Afridi, the younger brother of the hard-hitting Shahid Afridi, brought real troubles for the batting side. Farooq scored 14 from 28 deliveries whereas Afridi could get only one run in the ten balls that he faced.

Seeing that the wicket was taking the turn, the Gujranwala captain applied spinners from both ends in short spells, ensuring that the batsmen just do not adjust themselves to the playing conditions.

It was mainly due to this tactic that the Karachi side, which boasted of a fairly long batting line up, was reduced to 102 for 6 by the 29th over. Realising that they had grabbed the initiative from their opponents, the Gujranwala bowlers attacked with more ferocity and vigor, making life extremely miserable for the batsmen.

Ashraf Ali, the right-handed opener, was the only batsman who could put some resistance against the Gujranwala bowlers. However, his run out at the individual score of 46, rendered the Karachi line up virtually at the mercy of the opposition.

The late order of Karachi, comprising of Amin-ur-Rehman (18), Azam Hussain (14), and Aftab Ahmed (14), did spend some time at the crease, but their efforts were just not enough to overhaul the target. Karachi was all out for a mere 167 in the 47th over, in the end conceding the match quite easily.

Every Gujranwala bowler was among wickets. However, Kamran Hussain and the skipper Bilal Hussain were the pick of the lot with figures of 2/20 and 2/25, respectively.

The victory in this match has certainly shifted the odds in favour of the Gujranwala side to win the four-day contest, too. However, one expects that the Karachi players would learn from their mistakes and put up a brave show in the coming match in order to avenge their defeat at the hands of their rivals.

© CricInfo