The semi finals and final of the Master Oil t10 Inter University tournament commenced on Friday 8th February with 4 teams battling it out for the cup.
Semi Final#1
Ned University batted first against Bahria University in the 1st Semi final of the tournament. NED however struggled against the opposition with wickets consistently falling, unable to score the boundaries needed and keep the scoreboard ticking. Bahria University kept things tight with only Mohib Ahsan's 30 and 14 by Pervaiz Ali showing any intent for NED. 4 unbelievable run outs and 2 wickets by Umar Riaz had NED crumble to 74 for 9 in 10 overs.
With the momentum in their favour, Bahria University may have lost opener Hamza Altaf for duck but cruised to victory after that. Muhammad Jaseem's 37 and Umar Riaz's 30 were enough to chase down the low total in just 7 overs. NED who were one of the favorites to win the tournament were knocked out without much of a fight in the semi finals.
Bahria University won by 8 wickets and are through to the final. Full Scorecard
Semi Final#2
Karachi University (Urdu Department) batted first against IoBM at the second semi final of the tournament and came out strong. Hassan Sohail kept his good run going with an impressive 60 off just 37 balls. Farooq provided further support with 22 off 11 as the batting side ended at a very competitive 108 for 2 in 10 overs. IoBM bowlers were unable to pick wickets when needed.
In response, IoBM came out guns blazing in the chase. Ahmed Kabeer smashed 24 off just 11 balls closely followed by Bilal Khan's 20. Skipper Haris Shams then lead from the front with 44 off 22 at a mammoth strike rate of 218 as IoBM comfortably chased down the target in 9 overs. Karachi's bowlers were exceptionally weak and despite holding a strong position early on, they threw the game away.
IoBM won by 8 wickets and were through to the final. Full Scorecard
Final
The all important final of the Master Oil t10 Inter University tournament was played between Bahria University and IoBM in a match that ended in a thriller. After losing opener Hamza Altaf for duck, Bahria University's top order of Jaseem, Umar and Touseef put themselves in a strong position with knocks of 18, 22 and 32 respectively. IoBM bowlers struck later in the innings with Hamza Imran shining with 4 wickets for his side. Ahmed Salman also took 3 wickets as IobM pulled themselves back in the game with Bahria ending at 105 for 9 in 10 overs.
In response, IoBM monster hitters starting off exceptionally strong in the chase and at one stage looked poised for a very comfortably victory. Ahmed Kabeer's 35 run knock and contributions by the top order inched their side closer to victory but Bahria's bowlers struck back. Muhammad Fawad's 2 for 8 strangled the opposition and some tight bowling in the death and impressive catches had IobM eventually fall short by just 5 runs. It was a manic final with both sides fighting hard and some late boundaries and catches had everyone at the edge of their seats.
Bahria University won by 6 runs and were crowned champions of the tournament!