Valley Fresh Cold Chain Cricket Club secured a thrilling victory against Royal Goodwill CC in Qualifier 2 of the Kashmir Cup 2024, earning their spot in the finals. The match, held at TRC Ground, Srinagar on Thursday evening, saw Valley Fresh clinch a two-wicket win in the final over.
After winning the toss, Royal Goodwill CC captain Ishtiyaq Rasool chose to bat first. Rasool, in superb form, led from the front with a fiery 72 off 26 balls, smashing eight boundaries and five towering sixes. Supporting knocks came from Jahangir Lone and Azim Rather, who added 29 and 21 runs, respectively, taking Royals to a competitive total of 173 for nine in their 20 overs. Valley Fresh bowlers Abrar Peer, Rouf Mir, Nazir Tiger, and Dardish Goni all grabbed two wickets each, preventing the Royals from scoring freely in the latter part of the innings.
Valley Fresh’s reply began on shaky ground, losing four wickets for 60 runs by the 7.3 over mark. However, Musaib and Danish Muzafar stabilized the innings with a 29-run partnership before Danish fell for 17 runs. Musaib then combined with Nazir Tiger for a crucial 46-run stand. Both were dismissed at the team score of 135, leaving Valley Fresh in a tense situation.
In a nerve-wracking finish, it was Meeran Yousuf’s match-winning cameo of 29 runs that guided Valley Fresh to chase down the target in the final over, securing victory by two wickets.
Nazir Tiger was named Player of the Match for his all-round contribution, scoring 21 vital runs and claiming two key wickets. Musaib Farooq was awarded the Game Changer Award for his crucial knock of 45 runs, which kept Valley Fresh in the hunt.
Valley Fresh CC will now face Dadoo Rangers Kashmir in the final on Saturday at 10:30 PM at the same venue, TRC Ground, Srinagar. The tournament is organized by Dalgate Sports Club.
