Expatriates from South Asian communities in Qatar have a reputation for being madly in love with cricket and Pakistani expatriate community is not an exception to that rule.
The love and craze for the gentleman’s game was visible at a recently concluded cricket tournament in Al Khor where seven teams vied for the top position over a three months tournament held over weekends. Sohni Dharti, a bustling community group of Pakistanis living in Al Khor, organised the tournament ‘Sohni Dharti Pakistan Cricket League’. The tournament was the sixth successful edition of the league by the community organisation. Over 150 players were part of the tournament. 
The sporting event turned into a festival for visitors and players, especially during the final and semi-finals. Special seating arrangements for the spectators along with one allocated to families was arranged. Special stalls, arranged by Saughaat Sweets, offered traditional Pakistani food items including qulfi, carrot halwa, samosa among other things for the audience. People attended the knock-out matches in large numbers and enjoyed the event with their families.
The final of the long tournament was played between Islamabad, led by G Farid, and Kashmir Paradise, led by Junaid Siddique. Batting first, Kashmir Paradise scored 134 runs in 20 overs. The star of their batting innings was Nadeem Abbas who scored the vital 43 runs. Islamabad started the run chase cautiously but kept on losing their wickets with regular intervals. Nadeem Abbas also proved lethal for the opponents with his overall performance. Islamabad fell short of 20 runs in the given overs.
Nadeem Abbas was adjudged as the man of the match for his all-round performance. Gulshan Ali Shiekh bagged the title for best batsman of the tournament as he scored 148 runs in total. Rao Faheem Khan won the title of best bowler of the league with 15 wickets. Kaleemullah Durrani was awarded the most valuable player title with 123 runs and 10 wickets. Naveed Anwar won the best wicket keeper award with his 21 catches. Faisal Idrees was declared as the best fielder with 11 catches. 
Hafiz Junaid Ahmad Sial, Community Welfare Attaché Embassy of Pakistan, was the chief guest at the event. Rana Zaman Khan, a seasoned cricketer from Dukhan, was the guest of honour.
Speaking on the occasion, Hafiz Junaid said, “It gave me an immense pleasure and joy watching the final. I congratulate the winners – Kashmir Paradise. I also appreciate efforts of Sohni Dharti for organising this big event for the community. My special commendation to all the families for attending the final match and making it look like a festival. I hope the PCL would expand to the other areas of Qatar where there are major concentrations of the Pakistani community.”
“Cricket runs like blood in our veins. So, Sohni Dharti takes the mega sporting event as a challenge every year,” said Rana Anwar Ali, Chairman of Sohni Dharti, while addressing the gathering. He highlighted the importance of sports in daily life. He urged people to come to the grounds from their routine lives to maintain their health and fitness.
Rana Anwar suggested people to use such kind of sporting events to build their relations and friendships among community members.
Talking to Community, he said, “The tournament ended on a high note with everybody admiring and appreciating the work and dedication of the team behind a successful tournament. They appreciated Sohni Dharti sports secretary and PCL committee members, including Muhammad Kamran, Parwaiz Khan, Shahid Nadeem, Qazi Naeem and all the team captains for their dedication and commitment towards the welfare of the Pakistani community.”
Rana Zaman said, “I have been working in Qatar for 22 years. I had played cricket all my life. I follow the sport earnestly. It was very good to see participation of numerous young players in the tournament. Sport is necessary for a healthy life. The activity becomes more charming if the sport is cricket. I have seen cricket flourishing in Qatar in all these years. I see a bright future for the sport here.”
Junaid Siddique, the wining captain, said, “I have been in Qatar for four and a half years. I work in the oil and gas sector. I have been taking part in different cricket leagues on weekends. I feel encouraged to see the degree of enthusiasm and appreciation for the sport among the expatriates. I want to have more and more cricket events with regular hardball matches.”