In a nail-biting semifinal played at Aazad stadium, Khrew, in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on November 19, the star-studded Mukarram XI beat the FCC Lasjan by two runs.
For Mukarram-XI, the stylish opening batsman Shahid alias Amla scored a match-winning hundred, 112 runs in only 56 balls, while the one-drop batsman Shabir Lefty scored 76 runs in just 34 balls.
After losing the opener quickly, the duo comprising Shahid and Shabir scored a terrific partnership and took their team to a total of 200 runs in 17 overs. The team made 235 in the allotted quota of 20 overs for the loss of three wickets only.
Chasing a stiff target of 236, the opponents’ FCC Lasjan made a decent start but were jolted when the former skipper of J&K Ranji team Samiullah Beigh claimed two back-to-back wickets while the experienced off-spinner Gowhar Geelani bowled crucial overs in the middle.
Gowhar has a fantastic record at Khrew stadium, claiming 24 wickets in nine games. The game, meanwhile, kept swinging like a pendulum from one side to another.
The Mukarram-XI is a team that has two former Ranji players in Samiullah Beigh and Abid Nabi, Gowhar Geelani, and a battery of young talents like Shahid, Shabir Lefty, Nayeem Lefty, Ashu, Adil, Saleh, etc.
For FCC Lasjan, Tajamul made 43 runs but he was given way too many chances. Another player Basharat aka Boya played a cameo of 32 runs while Imtiyaz Malla played a breathtaking knock of 70 runs in 23 balls.
Aasif, Abid Nabi, Samiuallah Beigh, Shabir Lefty, and Gowher Geelani jolted FCC Lasjan in the end, For his match-winning century, Shahid aka Amla was adjudged player of the match.
The FCC Lasjan needed 84 runs from the last 7 overs, 42 from 12 balls and 24 in the last over. But the Mukaram XI held their nerve in crunch moments and confirmed their berth to the finals of the coveted tournament.
The spectators enjoyed every minute of the game, as the game kept swinging like a pendulum from one side to another.