Dubai: Shahzada Haris of American University of Sharjah (AUS), who won the player of the tournament award in the Maxtalent Global Pride Cup inter-university cricket tournament, inspired his team to victory through his all-round skills.
As skipper of AUS Haris led from the front through breezy knocks to amass 290 runs and bag six wickets in the tournament.
However, his dream of lifting the Maxtalent Pride Cup as skipper was realised through his teammate and leg spinner Nasir Khan, who bagged five wickets for 14 runs to emerge as the player of the tournament.
Speaking to Gulf News, Haris, who has chosen a career in Electrical Engineering, electrified the finals with a knock of 58 runs with five well-timed sixes.
“My sixes are the result of my confidence in my ability derived through a lot of practice and hard work. I am thankful to my coach VC James for guiding me correctly.”
Haris, who hails from Lahore, learned the basics of the game from his father Attique Gauhar. A proud Gauhar and wife were present to see their son lift the trophy and win the best player award.
“My idol is Inzamam Ul Haq. I was born in Lahore but would like to play for UAE one day. Though I once went for selection I was not picked as they found me overweight,” said Haris, who has worked hard on his fitness, which improved his game too.
“I won the best player award in Gulf Cup last year. I make sure to play in a match every weekend. I have played for domestic teams like Lahore Gymkhana, Titans, Farwani and Age Group,” said Haris, who wants to further improve his skills.
