KARACHI: Medicam Group will continue to sponsor cricket tournaments of the Regional Cricket Association Karachi (RCAK), in addition to the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 events, Zafar Riaz Bari, Director Admin and External Affairs of Medicam Group of Companies, said on Tuesday.
He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the last phase of the RCAK Talent Hunt Programme, the Medicam Trophy Under-19 Inter-Zonal Cricket Tournament, held at the Naya Nazimabad Gymkhana Ground.
Zafar Riaz Bari congratulated the office-bearers of RCA Karachi for successfully organising the tournaments.
RCAK Vice-President Syed Muhammad Talha advised young cricketers to focus on fitness and said Naya Nazimabad Gymkhana would fully cooperate with RCAK for the promotion of cricket in Karachi.
RCA Karachi Secretary Ali Hussain said young players of the city should take full advantage of the Regional Cricket Association’s Talent Hunt Programme. He said players must give their best performances in the tournament to earn a chance to represent the city in the future.
Tournament Committee Chairman Khalid Nafees said RCAK President Nadeem Omar’s vision was to promote club cricket competitions at every level in Karachi. Under this vision, club cricket tournaments were being organised in all seven zones of the city, providing opportunities for new talent to come forward.
He added that, on the instructions of Nadeem Omar, special coaching camps would also be arranged for players who perform well in the Under-19 tournament.
RCA Karachi Joint Secretary Muhammad Touseef Siddiqui said that, after the Under-15 and Under-17 events, matches of the Under-19 tournament would also be shown live on the YouTube channel of the Regional Cricket Association Karachi.
He thanked Medicam Group of Companies for sponsoring the RCAK Talent Hunt Programme and also appreciated the support and cooperation of all zonal office-bearers of RCA Karachi, particularly Khalid Nafees and Azam Khan.
RCA Karachi Coordinator Azam Khan also addressed the ceremony.
In the opening match, RCAK Zone-IV Blues defeated Zone-V Blues by 31 runs.
Batting first, Zone-IV Blues scored 199 for seven in 40 overs. Sardar Abdullah made 58 with five fours, while Ali Hamza scored 25 and Farzam contributed 22. For Zone-V Blues, S.M. Ali Mahdi took two wickets for 28 runs, Rafe Taj claimed two for 31, and Rashid took two for 33.
In reply, Zone-V Blues were bowled out for 168 in 35.1 overs. Syed Hasnain scored 28 and Abid made 23. Mehrab took two wickets for 27 runs, while Arbaz claimed two for 51.
Sardar Abdullah of Zone-IV Blues was named Medicam Man of the Match.
Among those present on the occasion were RCAK Assistant Secretary Muhammad Rehan Siddiqui, Zone Six President Saim Ahmed, Zone Four President Musarrat Raza, Zone Five Secretary Muhammad Saeed Jabbar, former Zone Six President Zia Ahmed Siddiqui, Zone Four Vice-President S.M. Asim, Zone One Secretary Umar Touseef, Zone Five Joint Secretary Shahbaz Qureshi, former Zone Two Treasurer Zafar Khan, former Zone Seven Secretary S.A. Fahim, Zone Seven Treasurer Zaib Iqbal, Naveed-ul-Amin, other prominent personalities of the city, and a large number of players.
