Lahore Blues clinched the National U-19 Cup title on Thursday after beating Rawalpindi in the final at the Multan Cricket Stadium as Naqeebullah and Ibtisam Azhar took three wicket each for the champions.
Opting to bat first, Rawalpindi were restricted to a meagre 142 in 44.1 overs with Ali Mehdi top-scoring with 36 as slow left-armer Naqeebullah and off-spinner Ibtisam — who finished the tournament with 20 wickets from eight matches — conceded 16 and 25 runs, respectively.
In reply, Lahore Blues lost three wickets in their chase and achieved the target in 39.4 overs. Jahangir Bilal top-scored for the winning side with an unbeaten 56 off 97 balls, hitting seven fours, while Khizer Butt added 46.
Lahore Blues’ captain, Ali Hassan Baloch, who missed out on a big score in the final, was named player of the tournament and the best batter for scoring 603 runs from eight matches at an average of 75.38, including three centuries and two half-centuries.
Faisalabad’s Momin Qamar was declared bowler of the tournament for his 22 wickets in eight matches. The left-arm spinner had two five-wicket hauls to his name.
Scores in brief:
Rawalpindi 142 in 44.1 overs (Ali Mehdi 36; Naqeebullah 3-16, Ibtisam Azhar 3-25); Lahore Blues 143-3 in 39.4 overs (Jahangir Bilal 56 not out, Khizer Butt 46)
