IIUI Defeats Dunya News in Friendly T20 Cricket Match

Imdad Ullah’s brilliant century and four-wicket haul power hosts to a comfortable chase of 148 runs in academic-media matchup

Sports Desk

ISLAMABAD: Setting aside the microphone and lecture podium for the bat and ball for one morning, International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) secured a comfortable victory over Dunya News in a friendly T20 cricket match at the IIUI Sports Ground on Thursday.

Driven by an all-round masterclass from Imdad Ullah, who scored an unbeaten 101 off 42 balls and claimed four wickets, the host side comfortably chased down a 148-run target with four overs to spare and only two wickets down.

The fixture was organised jointly by the Office of Protocol and Public Relations and the Directorate of Students' Affairs to bring the university and the media fraternity together on the same turf.

Team Dunya News was led by anchorperson and senior journalist Samar Abbas, while Team IIUI was captained by Muhammad Nauman, Deputy Director Protocol and Public Relations. Imdad Ullah remained not out on 101 off 42 deliveries and also took 4 wickets, earning the man-of-the-match award. Both sides were warmly applauded for their sporting conduct through the morning.

Vice President (Administration and Finance) Prof. Dr Abdul Rashid was the chief guest and gave away the trophies to the winning and runner-up teams as well as the man-of-the-match award. He said such activities were a very positive way for the two communities to interact and would help bridge the gap between academia and the media. He appreciated the performance of both teams and acknowledged the university's organising team, including Ch. Khalid, Incharge Sports, Altaf Burki, Department of Horticulture, and Team IIUI coach Muhammad Naseer.

Dr Asma Mansoor, Incharge Protocol and Public Relations and chief organiser of the activity, said the match was an omen of strong and positive ties between IIUI and the media, and that the university was open to working towards bringing young people back to the grounds in this age of gadgets. She thanked the Dunya News management and Samar Abbas for participating in a constructive activity of this nature.

Dr Hafiz Ghufran, Director Students' Affairs and overall supervisor of the event, lauded the passion shown by both teams. He said this was only a start and that the university would host Dunya News and other media teams with greater frequency, adding that the courteous environment created on the occasion was a win-win situation for both academia and the media industry.