PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister of Food, Agriculture, Environment and Livestock Asif Rafiq has said that journalists are an important section of our society for whose health and well-being it is a welcome thing to organize sports.
He expressed this during the opening ceremony of the RMI Media Cricket League being played here at Colonel Sher Khan Stadium on Friday. A total of 16 teams consisting of more than 250 working journalists are participating in this sports event organized under the auspices of Peshawar Press Club (PPC) with the support of Rehman Medical Institute (RMI).
Earlier, Peshawar Press Club President Arshad Aziz Malik welcomed the Provincial Minister on his arrival at the Stadium. Former President of PPC M. Riaz, Members of the PPC cabinet Tayyab Usman, Finance Secretary Immad Waheed and Sports Committee Chairman Zafar Iqbal and a large number of working journalists from different print and electronic media were also present.
In the opening match, PPC Cobra faced PPC Falcons in which PPC Cobra easily won the match by achieving the target of 84 runs, Kamran Gill of PPC Cobra scored the first half-century of the tournament and was later on declared as Man of the Match.
The chief guest awarded him a gold medal. On this occasion, Provincial Minister Asif Rafiq while talking to the media said that the field of journalism is of fundamental importance for development, awareness and reform in the society and the work of our journalist brothers requires a lot of stress and pressure so participating in sports is a healthier sign.
He was happy to come and see that our journalist brothers who run after news are running on the pitch and after the ball. Peshawar Press Club and its leadership deserve congratulations for this mega cricket event for working journalists, the Minister said.
He announced the donation for Peshawar Press Club. On this occasion, Peshawar Press Club President Arshad Aziz Malik thanked the Provincial Minister and presented him with the honorary shield of the Club.
Earlier, the 7th edition of the RMI Media Cricket League got under way in a colourful opening ceremony. In the opening match King Cobra defeated Falcons by 9 wickets. Falcons captain Sajjad Hussain won the toss and decided to bat first and the entire team was dismissed for 86 runs in the allotted 8 overs.
Aamir Siddiqui was the outstanding batsman with 35 runs and Alamzeb 13 runs. On behalf of King Cobra, Qari Ziaul Islam and Haroon Rasheed dismissed two players each.
In reply, King Cobra achieved the target of 87 runs for the loss of 1 wicket in the sixth over. Cobra opener Kamran Gill scored the first fifty of MCL 7. He was dismissed for 54 runs. Rafat Ehsan remained not out with 17 and Arshad Aziz Malik with one run.
Mudassar Zeb got the only wicket for Falcons. King Cobra’s opener Kamran Gill was adjudged the player of the match who was presented with the medal by the special guest Provincial Minister for Forests, Environment and Food Asif Rafique.
