The Sialkot Stallions achieved an incredible 7th T20 title after defeating the Karachi Dolphins in the final of the 2012 Faysal Bank Super 8s T20 tournament. The final turned out to be a relatively comfortable victory for Sialkot, as their experienced captain Shoaib Malik and an extremely impressive young left handed batsman Haris Sohail shared an unbroken partnership of 119 runs to take them to an 8 wicket victory, chasing down Karachi Dolphins’ total of 167 with 7 balls to spare.

It was another memorable performance by the Sialkot Stallions and their opening bowler Umaid Asif in exclusive remarks to PakPassion.net, spoke of his pride at being associated with the winning team as well as his appreciation of the quality of the tournament.

With Sialkot Stallions stamping their authority on the domestic circuit for the 7th time in a row, Umaid was understandably upbeat and duly credited his captain and colleagues for their success as well as showing faith in his abilities.

"Yes it was a great achievement. Our team gelled well and played like champions. I am thankful to the captain and the whole team who have given me lot of confidence. When you get that much support from your team mates, it becomes very easy to perform."

Twenty Eight year old Umaid who is highly rated by former Pakistan bowling coach Aaqib Javed, had a somewhat difficult time, taking 5 wickets in the tournament, at an average of 31 and an economy rate above 8. He was on the receiving end of some punishment in the final, at the hands of Shahzaib Hasan and Khalid Latif, as his 4 overs cost 44 runs.

"Honestly speaking, I am very happy but not fully satisfied. I thought, I bowled well throughout the tournament but could have done even better. I am learning from every outing and I hope this experience helps me in the future."

"The plan was to play with aggression in the final and get the opposing batsman out early. I wanted to especially get Shahzaib Hasan and Khalid Latif early. My plan was to get Shahzaib out with the inswinger but the ball stopped swinging after a few deliveries so I changed the plan and bowled some short balls and it worked well for me and the team."

The 2nd edition of the Fayal Bank Super 8s T20 Cup, which tests the mettle of Pakistan’s top 8 domestic T20 teams, took place in Rawalpindi and was considered a huge success by all observers. With packed stadiums and enthusiastic support for all teams throughout the tournament, players like Umaid were able to gain some valuable big match experience which should stand them in good stead for the future.

“It’s a great feeling to play in front of big crowds. I absolutely loved it. There were lots of Mexican waves and the crowd supported both the teams. There was so much noise in the stadium and it was very hard to hear one's team mates. The atmosphere was fantastic"

In the final analysis, Umaid Asif may have not been the star of the tournament that he probably hoped for. However, there is little doubt that the experience from such a tournament and the confidence exhibited in his abilities by senior players is something he feels would be a great memory and a spur for better performances in the future.

"I gained a lot by playing in the tournament. My senior players were telling me to have the confidence in your ability. They asked me not to worry about the result, just go there, play aggressively, give your 100%, have the confidence in yourself and enjoy the game. With this experience behind me, I hope I can play better if given another chance in the future”