Gujranwala Pehlwans won the ‘Sprite Cricket Next 2011’ finals held recently at Karachi. The event was participated by city champions from Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Rahim Yar Khan, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Sukkur. Going through a competitive round of matches starting from their mohalla, followed by the city; the Gujranwala Pehlwans defeated Lahore Leopards in the final to win the coveted title along with a cash prize of Rs. 400, 000 and a year’s supply of Sprite.
Legendary cricketer Javed Miandad was the chief guest of the championship finals. Miandad said: “Each and every cricketer has played street cricket in one form or the other. I started my cricket on the streets and these matches are a reminder of those days.” Sprite Cricket Next has given street cricketers across Pakistan an opportunity to exhibit their talent in an innovative high-tech environment.
Every individual player gets statistics pertaining to their bowling and batting talent, as speed guns and action replays provide updates of each exciting moment as it takes place on ground. These real time performance indicators have helped help these budding cricketers in honing their skills and improving their ability. Fahad Qadir, Public Affairs & Communications Manager of Coca-Cola said, “We Pakistanis are a cricket crazy nation and the passion one witnesses while watching or being a part of a street cricket match is unmatchable.”
