PESAWAR: (APP) The colourful grand opening ceremony of the first ever FATA Super League Twenty20 Cricket was held at Tehsil Jamrud Sports Complex, Khyber Agency on Monday.
Adviser to the Prime Minister, Eng. Amir Muqam was the chief guest on this occasion who formally inaugurated the first FATA Super League.
Al Haj Shahji Gul Afridi, MNA, FATA Parliamentarians, chief organizer of the FATA Super League Twdenty20 Cricket Haji Taimur Afridi, players and officials were also present.
The Stadium has fully decorated with colourful banners and balloons and soon after announcement of the opening of the FATA Super League balloons, pigeons and banners inscribed with different slogans were released.
After the successful final of the Pakistan Super League in Lahore, FSL has initiated to provide much need exposure to the players and youth of FATA.
MNA Al-haj Shahji Gul Afridi, Leader of the FATA Parliamentarians in National Assembly, took keen interest for extending all financial and moral support.
All 24 teams have been divided in four different groups to be played on four different venues comprising South Waziristan Agency, Khurram Agency, Bajaur Agency and Khyber Agency. The final will be played on April 13 at South Waziristan Agency.
There are attractive cash prizes for the winners and runners-up teams.
The winner will be awarded Rs. 0.6 million while the runners-up team will get Rs. 0.3 million. FATA Super League will give ample opportunities to the players of FATA to show their hidden talent, Amir Muqam added.
He also lauded MNA Shahji Gul Afridi for taking keen interest in sponsoring the event wherein lot of talented players would come up at national and international level through this FATA Super League.
The purpose of the FATA Super League is to promote the positive and peaceful image of FATA which badly suffered due to insurgency and militancy, he remarked.
The youth of FATA, he said, were traumatized and were mostly confined to their homes instead of participating in healthy sports activities.
He expressed the hope the FATA Super League would bring more normality and peace to the area besides portraying a softer image of FATA to the rest of the world.
The teams was provided full uniform, DA and TA. Each team will field nine players from FATA with one is below Under-19 besides fielding two players from outside FATA.
In his welcome address, Shahji Gul Afridi MNA thanked Amir Muqam and other parliamentarians for gracing the occasion.
He requested the federal govt to take steps in developing sports infrastructure in all agencies and FRs so that the youth of FATA could come up in all sports at national and internataional levels.
In the opening match, Khyber Green Hazmary defeated Shamlawar Kabail by six wickeats.
Batting first Shamlawar Kabail made 185 runs in the allotted 20 overs with opener Tariq Khan hammered a cracking 91 runs including 11 boundaries and one six. For Khyber Green Hazmaray Asif took four wickets.
In reply, Khyber Green Hazmaray chased the target in 18.2 overs for the loss of four wickets with Nasir cracked a 52 runs knock including five boundaries and two sixes and thus was declared at Man of the Match.