The Speen Ghar Region, representing provinces in eastern Afghanistan, won the Regional Club Championship 2023 title by securing a two-wicket win against Kabul Zalmi Cricket Club in the final match in Kandahar province on Monday.
The Regional Club Championship 2023 commenced on December 8 in Kandahar, featuring the top five regional clubs competing in a round-robin format.
The final showdown took place at the Kandahar National Cricket Stadium between the Faqir Wahab Cricket Club (Speen Ghar) and the Kabul Zalmi Cricket Club.
In the morning session, Faqir Wahab CC chose to field and delivered an impressive bowling performance, limiting Kabul Zalmi (Band-e-Amir Region) to 119 runs in the first inning. Top scorers for Kabul Zalmi were Faisal Khan (22) and Dawood Ahmadzai (22), each contributing 22 runs. The FWCC bowlers, including Abdul Akbar, Fahim Qasemi, Wali Agha, Akbar Hussain Shinwari, and Omar Amin, collectively took all ten wickets.
Despite challenges, Barakzai Naseri (35), Riaz Akbari (28), and Tamim Surkhrodi (21) played crucial roles, guiding their team to victory with a two-wicket margin. Juma Sultani (3/29) and Shafiqullah Ghafari (2/17) were notable bowlers for Kabul Zalmi.
Omar Amin, providing an excellent early platform, was honored as the best player of the match. Usman Noori (Kabul Zalmi) received the best batter of the tournament award for scoring 236 runs at 78.67, while Jumadin Sultani (Kabul Zalmi) claimed the best bowler title with 15 wickets. Khial Mohammad, contributing 51 runs and 7 wickets, was recognized as the best player of the tournament. Naveed Ahmadzai, scoring 142 runs, earned the emerging player of the tournament award.
The Regional Club Championship 2023 marks the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s (ACB) 10th domestic event of the year, leading to the upcoming Regional U16 Tournament starting on December 21 and concluding ACB’s domestic cricket activities in 2023.
