Maiwand Champions (221 & 14/1) beat the Mahipar Stars (135 & 97) by 9 wickets in the grand finale of the event to clinch the title of the eighth edition of the Mahwala Presents Ahmad Shah Abdali First Class Tournament 2025, Powered by SuperCola.
Maiwand Champions won the toss
and opted to field first. The fast-bowling unit, led by Bashir Ahmad (5/37) and
the skipper Yamin Ahmadzai (3/47), proved the decision to be spot-on as they
bundled out the Mahipar Stars for 135 runs in the first inning. Afsar Zazai
(44) and Zubaid Akbari (37) were the only batters to chip in with some runs, as
their bowling unit dominated the inning. Khalil Ahmad (2/42) was the other fast
bowler, taking two wickets, as all 10 wickets went to the fast bowlers.
Bahir Shah Mahboob (90) and
Shawkat Zaman (65) scored half-centuries, and Haroon Khan (38) chipped in with
some crucial runs to help their side put 221 runs on the board and take an
86-run lead on a tricky wicket at the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Cricket Ground in
Nangarhar Province. Nasim Mangal (4/48) and Khalil Gurbaz (4/57) returned with
excellent figures each, whereas Sayed Shirzad (1/56) bagged one wicket.
The Maiwand Champions only needed
to score 12 runs to win the championship after bundling the Mahipar Stars out
for only 97 runs in their second inning, courtesy of some incredible new-ball
bowling by Yamin Ahmadzai (4/16) and Bashir Ahmad (3/47) and a strong
supportive role by Zahir Khan (2/2) and Khalil Ahmad (1/32). The Maiwand
Champions lost one of their openers but managed to get over the line in the
first over to complete their second title victory in three years.
Maiwand Champions’ skipper, Yamin
Ahmadzai (3/47 & 4/16) was awarded as the player of the match. Sharafuddin
Ashraf (262 runs & 36 wkts), who dominated the entire event with some
impressive all-round show, was adjudged as the best player and as the best
bowler of the event. Shahidullah Kamal (541 runs) was declared the best batter,
whereas Noor Ul Rahman, with 336 runs, was named the emerging player of the
event, who put on an incredible performance in his debut first-class event.
Four teams competed in a double
round-robin format over 45 days in the 8th edition of the Ahmad Shah Abdali
First Class Tournament, which began on May 5 across two venues in Nangarhar
province. Based on their superior performances in the first phase, the Mahipar
Stars (89 Points) and the Maiwand Champions (75 Points) proceeded to the final,
which resulted in the Maiwand Champions being crowned champions of the 8th
edition at the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Cricket Stadium in Nangarhar Province.