Amo Region Wins the Ahmad Shah Abdali First Class Tournament 2022

The fifth edition of the Ahmad Shah Abdali First Class Tournament 2022, which commenced on October 8 in Khost and Nangarhar Province, ended with the Amo Region being crowned champions. 

The event featured 5 regional teams, the Amo Region, Band-e-Amir Region, Mis-e-Ainak Region, Bost Region and the Speenghar Region. All the participating teams, in a single round-robin format, played 4 games in the round stages among which the top two of the table the Amo and the Bande-Amir regional teams advanced to the final of the event. 

In the final match, the Band-e-Amir region opted to bowl first, a call that was responded to really well by the Amo batters, who managed to put 395 runs on the board in their first inning. Mohammad Shahzad struck 113 and was well-supported by Khalid Zahidi who scored 84 runs to help them post a decent total on the board. 

The bowlers backed the efforts that the batter have put in and restricted the Band-e-Amir region to 278 runs, taking a lead of 117 runs. Farmanullah Safi scored 121 and Asif Musazai added 66 runs but other batters failed to get into runs as they were trailed by 117 runs after the first inning. 

Mohammad Shahzad (101) and Hayatullah (82) put on a brilliant batting show once again in the 2nd inning to take them to 251/8d in the 2nd inning on Day 5 to set a 369-run target for the Band-e-Amir region to chase in the last two sessions. Band-e-Amir region’s openers, Alamzaib and Suliman Safi scored unbeaten half-centuries before skipper Karim Janat called them back to the dugout to draw the match. Although the match ended in a draw, the Amo region was adjudged champion based on the lead they took in the first inning. 

Mohammad Shahzad (113 & 101*) was adjudged the player of the match for his twin hundreds in the match. Karim Janat who had scored 561 runs including 2 centuries and 4 half-centuries to his name in the event, was awarded as the best batter of the tournament. Karim Janat (561 runs & 18 wickets) was also awarded the most valuable player of the tournament based on his all-round performances. The left-arm spinner Hamza Hotak who had taken 30 wickets, was awarded as the best bowler of the event. 

This edition was the 5th overall of the competitions where the Amo region won their maiden title. Band-e-Amir region, the runners of this edition, has three titles in 2017, 2018 and 2021 respectively, whereas the Speenghar region was declared as the top team of the 2019 edition.