KARACHI: Shabbir Sharif Niners won the Nishan-e-Haider hockey tournament by defeating Muhammad Mehfooz Niners by 5-2 at Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium here on Tuesday.
Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah announced on the occasion that 11 new hockey turfs would be laid at grounds across the province.
Shabbir Sharif Niners, who were considered the most favourite team throughout the event, faced stiff resistance in the final from Mehfooz Niners. They easily won the penalty shootout by 3-1, but winning the field match was not an easy task. The first half went goalless despite many attacks by both sides.
Shabbir Sharif team got a penalty stroke thanks to a foul by Mehfooz Niners. They availed themselves of this golden opportunity through Aleem Bilal. Just a few minutes later, Mehfooz Niners launched an attack and managed to get a penalty stroke, which was converted by Zohaib Ashraf.
The score was 1-1 at the end of regulation play. But later Shabbir Niners geared up and attacked time and again. They got a penalty corner on which M Naveed scored the winning goal.
The chief minister handed the winners’ trophy to winning captain Aleem Bilal and the runners-up trophy to Umair Rana. He said that the Sindh government knew the importance of the national game. He said that Sindh government would install 11 hockey turfs, including blue ones, in various cities of the province. These turfs will be installed at those grounds where the government plans to establish academies, he added.
He said that Sindh government would also renovate Edhi stadium. He said that the participation of 11 foreign goalkeepers proved that law and order in the city was satisfactory.
He said that PSL and PHL matches should also be held in Karachi. Shah said that during Muharram, 31,000 Bohra Muslims came to Karachi from various parts of the world to meet their spiritual leader Mufaddal Saifuddin. “It shows that the city is peaceful. The PCB should think about organising PSL matches in Karachi,” said the chief minister. He said that Sindh government had sent two letters to PCB to organise PSL matches in Karachi in February and March next year.
