Kabul B wins the WAK Provincial Grade I Tournament 2024

Kabul B provincial team put on an outstanding batting performance in the final to beat Pakia 7 wickets and win the 15th edition of the Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan Provincial Grade I Tournament 2024.

Paktia Provincial Team opted to bat first and put 262/9 in the first inning. The skipper Sediqullah Pacha stepped up for Paktia and scored a much-important hundred. He scored 100* runs off 96 runs with one six and 10 fours to his name. In addition, Mohammad Riaz scored 52 runs whereas Rahman Zurmati and Marwan Nesar chipped in with 40 & 20 runs respectively. 

In reply, Kabul B team, led by an unbeaten 116* runs from Mehboob Taskin and half-centuries from the skipper Sami Mamozai (54) and Usman Noori (53*), put on an excellent batting display to chase down the total penultimate over and won the game by 7 wickets to win the 15th edition of the Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan Provincial Grade One Tournament 2024. Mahboob Taskin was adjudged the player of the match for his unbeaten 116* off 133 balls with 9 fours and a six to his name.

Kabul B Team’s Mehboob Taskin, who had scored 295 runs at 59 with 2 hundreds, was awarded the best batter of the tournament. Right-arm fast bowler, Abdullah Ahmadzai, from Kabul B was named the best bowler of the event with 16 scalps in 8 innings. 

Additionally, a young leg-spinner, Aqil Khan was named as the emerging player of the tournament for picking 11 wickets in his debut season, whereas Paktia province’s Haqmal Arya was named the best player of the event for his terrific all-round performance in the event. He scored 144 runs and had also picked up 12 wickets to help his side to the final. 

The event featured 12 Provincial Teams and was played across 4 venues in Kandahar, Kunar and Nangarhar provinces with the knockout stages of the event being held in Nangarhar. The 12 teams were divided into 2 groups of 6 teams each, from where the top two from each group advanced to the semi-finals. The first semi-final was washed out and Paktia advanced to the final based on more points from the group stage, whereas the Kabul B provincial side defeated Kabul A in the 2nd semi-final to reach the grand finale of the event. 

The Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan Provincial Grade I tournament 2024 was the 2nd activity of the domestic cricket department in the year, which will be followed by the Shpageeza Cricket League and the regional three-day event in April and May respectively.