v Northern 593 all out
Close on Day 3
Monday 28 November 2022
Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Final
Played at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan
This is the highest, regional level of domestic first class, red ball cricket played in Pakistan. Obvs I'm no particular expert on the history and structure. Suffice to say, this domestic cricket competition has undergone many, many changes over the years. (See also - County Championship). And, this year is being played just a few days before the Test Series v England starts, and while the Pakistan International players are in camp preparing for that series. (See also - County Championship).
Six teams play a round robin of ten four day matches each. Starting in September, and ending on 23 November. I make that 40 days of cricket across just 57 days. Proper….
Three days after the league season finished, the top two clear off to Lahore for this five day final. Northern (Hit The North doo doo doo doo) topped the table. Three wins and six draws. Sindh had the same. There must have been some points regulations hoo haa which sent Northern top. Because they had one loss. But, Sindh had one abandoned. Central Punjab finished third on the ladder. Missing out on the final. Only four points behind Sindh, but they had a mad season. Played ten. Drawn ten. FFS.
As far as I could make out, the entire crowd at this Pakistan Domestic Showpiece Final were English Cricket Carrier Bag Firm. No local support at all. Northern (nb - will rise again) romped into a 309 run lead by close. Long, long way back for Sindh. Damage done by;
Muhammad Hurraira 221 off 236
Captain Umar Amin 114 off 207
Umar Waheed 109 off 162
And, a probably bit pissed off, Rohail Nazir, 94 off 149.
Right Arm Medium, Mohammed Umar (4 for 116) and Off Spinner, Aaliyan Mehmood (4 for 96) the pick of the, quite frankly, carted around Sindh bowlers.
So. Onto "The Good Stuff". Alcohol is legally available to non-Muslims in Pakistan. Mate, I'm an Atheist. Bearded man who lives in the sky don't give two fucks whether I get outside a drink made with water, malted barley, hops and yeast. There's a racket. One of the house staff in my hotel claims to be Christian. He can legally buy ale & will happily supply it to your room. But, I'm not convinced that's the best Supply Model for me. The smattering of high end hotels (ie not mine) have bars which serve alcohol. There's supposed to be paperwork. Permits and ilk. But, there's basically a sign saying you might need your passport. That sign not particularly prominently displayed in the Rumor Sports Bar, Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore.
The available ticking options were from Murree Brewery. I can't swear how many different variations & therefore ticks are produced. I have no viable intel about availability down the track. But, here goes everything.
Murree Brewery, Millennium Brew, Imperial/Double Pilsner from a Tin at 6.5%
I have a working guess that abvs are more important to the Murree Market than hop profiles. I get that Clientele Catering To strategy. And, the fuckers know I'll buy and tick it. Irrespective of price and quality. However, that was very much a - what the Hail Mary are they trying to do there - beer. A bit cloying. Reassuringly thick in the mouth. But, starts nowhere. And goes backwards. My contemporaneous notes just say - Reasonably Awful.
But, when I die and they lay me to rest, they'll simply say…
"Phil ticked that 'un"
I've got a friend in Jesus. (nb that friend imaginary)
(Recent readers will know that I had some rather high Blood Sugar readings a while ago. I'm not ill. Feel fiddle fit. But, I do need to get those numbers under control a little. And, in a heart on my sleeve approach, I'm using the Blog to keep me on the straight, if not narrow).
My name is Phil, I'm a Type II Diabetic.
Which in tourist Pakistan is not an easy thing to control by diet. Sugar is everywhere.
I am currently beyond the reach of weighing scales (for BMI measurement).
I ate the muffin & the chocolate pot thing that came with my Virgin Atlantic in-flight meal. But, I have avoided the croissants and pastries at the buffet breakfast. And I have avoided the biccies, sweeties, cakes, jellies and ice cream at the evening buffets.
In 2022, I average 10,670 steps a day.
I had a coupla cans on the flight to take the edge off. And, we're here to beer tick Pakistani breweries.
I average TWELVE units of alcohol per week over the past 7 days.
And, my 30 day average units of alcohol is EIGHT per week.
Having formed this virtual Diabetic support group on my Blog, I am very pleased to announce the Pakistani public are getting behind the ball_sugar campaign in real life. I had no option but to put down some full sugar 7 Ups in my Lahore hotel. Diet, Zero, Sugar Free are not widely available. However, there is a small, modern supermarket not far. Which has a smattering of "Western Brands" on the shelves. Nescafé and similar for eg. They had Coke Zero & Sprite Zero in one n half litres. So, that'll work, that'll help.
We picked up three and headed till side. He's scanned 'em. 385 roops the lot. Call it £1.40. I've wallet dived. But, before I can make much progress. The Pakistani guy behind me in the queue has put some Urdu in the convo. (rough translation).
"Hey, I'll pay for those"
"Thanks mate. But, there's no need. We're good here"
"You are guests in my country. I will pay"
"Nice of you. But, we're happy"
As you can imagine, the After You Claude etiquette became rather elaborate. Basically, he's very quick off the mark. And, the money's in the till before my counter arguments at the counter can be fully deployed. And, this lovely guy has helped my blood sugars out by standing for my Coke Zero. Handshakes and Carrier Bag Firm gang signals all round.
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