Karachi: The final showdown of the National Women's U19 Tournament is set for Friday at the Naya Nazimabad Cricket Ground, Karachi, where Komal Khan's Stars will face off against Fizza Fiaz's Challengers. The match, scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. local time, marks the culmination of the 21-match tournament featuring five teams.
According to Pakistan Cricket Board, the 20-over final will be broadcast live on PTV Sports, with additional live-streaming options available on Tapmad and Tamasha for local fans, while international viewers can watch via the PCB's YouTube channel. The tournament champion will receive a cash prize of PKR one million, and the runners-up will earn PKR 750,000.
The competition began with a double-league round-robin format, featuring 30-over matches in its initial stages before transitioning to 20-over games for the latter half, including the final. Challengers topped the standings with seven wins from eight matches, while Stars secured their spot in the final based on net run rate, after tying with Conquerors on five wins each.
In earlier encounters, Challengers narrowly defeated Stars twice, winning by one run and then by one wicket in closely contested matches. The upcoming final offers Stars a chance to reverse their fortunes against a strong Challengers side.
Challengers have been bolstered by Pakeeza Shabbir's form, as she amassed 243 runs across eight matches. In contrast, Stars captain Komal Khan leads the tournament in scoring with 263 runs in five matches, supported by significant contributions from Aqsa Habib and Qamrosh Farhan.
On the bowling front, Afsheen Khan from Stars has claimed the highest number of wickets in the tournament with 18, while Challengers' Memoona Khalid and Aleena Shah have also been effective with 12 and 10 wickets, respectively.
Both captains, Fiza Fiaz and Komal Khan, shared their thoughts on the tournament's impact and their respective teams' performances. Fiaz praised her team’s consistency and execution, while Khan emphasized the resilience and determination shown by her players under pressure.
The squads for each team have been announced, with Challengers featuring players like Memoona Khalid and Maryam Ahmed, and Stars relying on the talents of Aqsa Habib and Afsheen Khan, among others. The much-anticipated final promises to be a thrilling conclusion to the tournament.