An Exciting Pakistan-Sri Lank Cricket Match in Orange County
The match had all the excitement and thrill of a first class encounter
Anaheim , CA :“I am very disappointed for the loss. We could have won this game if we had batted first,” said Syed Wajeed, captain of the Pakistani side. “We would perform better in future,” the captain added wistfully. And the people who gathered around him were equally hopeful, despite losing to the Sri Lankan team by 40 runs.
Under plenty of sunshine, cool breeze and clear blue skies, Karachi Club’s 4 th of July event kicked off on Sunday, the 5 th of July at Tustin’s Columbus Park, Orange County. The highlight of the event was a friendly Thirty30 Cricket Match between local Pakistan and Sri Lankan teams.
The Pakistani team won the toss and decided to field. The game began around 10:00AM. Sri Lankan side lost two wickets in quick succession. As the crowd started to grow so did the excitement. In the early part of the game, the Pakistani side demonstrated that they had the good hold on the bowling and the fielding. Then the Sri Lankan batsmen strengthened their position. At one point the Sri Lankans looked quite defiant and took their score to 135 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 30 overs.
Pakistan batted soon after lunch and lost one good wicket after scoring two runs. Tight fielding and accurate bowling from Sri Lankans kept the Pakistani players on their toes. Sri Lankan bowlers didn’t give Pakistani batsmen any chance to take coontrol of the situation. Two of the Sri Lankan bowlers had played for the Under 19 National Sri Lankan team. Pakistani batsmen did their best but the time was not on their side. They scored 95 runs and were all out in 30 overs. The Sri Lankans were declared winners by 40 runs.
Naleen was named Man of the Match. Syed Wajeed, captain of Pakistan side, was named the best bowler of the match.
Dr. Farooq Sattar, Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis, also witnessed the event. “I am thrilled to see the Pakistani community’s active involvement in cultural activities,” said the minister. “I congratulate Karachi Club USA, Los Angeles, for organizing such an event in a very cordial atmosphere,” the minister added while shaking hands with Mobin Baig, President of Karachi Club.
Said Sri Lankan captain Aruna: “It was a wonderful game with good organization and I am grateful to Karachi Club for giving us this opportunity.”
The game ended in good spirit at about 4:30PM. The national anthems of all three countries, the USA, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were played. Medals and trophies were presented by Mr. Jafar Hussain, representative from Consul General of Pakistan, who witnessed the entire festivity.
The event got extensive media coverage: PV-TV of Pakistan and HumDesi Radio Station of worldBand media broadcasted the match live.
