AFZAL JAVED
DUBAI: Ajay Reddy smashed 66 in 35 balls helps India for decisive victory by 8 wickets against Pakistan and won the Pak-India bilateral Blind T-20 cricket series by 2-1 at International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket Academy Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday.
Pakistan Captain Nisar Ali, winning the toss for the third consecutive time, opted to bat first. Pakistan changed their opening pair, bringing in Badar Munir to maximize the powerplay overs. However, Badar’s early dismissal after scoring two boundaries set the stage for Muhammad Salman’s splendid innings of 74 runs off 39 balls, with Muhammad Rashid contributing 32 off 22 balls.
Pakistan posted 193 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in 20 overs, with Durga Rao standing out among the bowlers, claiming three wickets, while Venkatesh took two.
In response, India chased down the target in the penultimate over, scoring 196 runs in 18.4 overs, losing two wickets in the process. Ajay Reddy’s brisk innings of 66 runs off 35 balls turned the game in India’s favor, supported by Sunil Ramesh’s impressive 64 off 53 balls. Muhammad Salman and Muhammad Idress claimed one wicket each for Pakistan.
Syed Sultan Shah, President of World Blind Cricket Ltd, graced the occasion as the guest accompanied by Ek Radha Krishnan, Chairman Organizing Committee, Shabana Abdul Razzak, Co-Chairperson of the event organizing committee, Rajnesh Henry, the first Vice President of World Blind Cricket Ltd, Sabeen Gul, Vice President/Wing Head CSR Department National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Junaid Iqbal, CSR Officer NBP. They distributed trophies and other prizes amongst the players.
