- Urdu match report is attached here
Lahore, 4 March 2022: Half-centuries from Adil Amin and Sahibzada Farhan led defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to their second win in as many outings in the Pakistan Cup. Sindh and Central Punjab also win their today’s fixtures against Balochistan and Northern, respectively.
After being put into bat, Southern Punjab were bowled out for 183 in the 42nd over. Sharoon Siraj top-scored with a 51-ball 53, hitting three fours and as many sixes. Captain Khalid Usman was pick of the bowlers for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa taking three for 41 in 10 overs. Arshad Iqbal and Kamran Ghulam bagged two wickets apiece.
In return, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa achieved the target in the 36th over for the loss of four wickets. Adil Amin top-scored with an unbeaten 57 off 82, hitting six fours. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris played a quick-fire unbeaten innings of 38 from 25 balls. His innings included five fours and one six and he added 69 runs for the fifth wicket. The right-handed batter Sahibzada Farhan was other notable run-getter with a 59-ball 50, smashing four fours and two sixes.
Southern Punjab’s Rahat Ali bagged two wickets for 34.
At the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, half-centuries from Sharjeel Khan and Omair Bin Yousuf led Sindh to a six-wicket win over Balochistan. Batting first, Balochistan managed to score 209 for nine in 50 overs. The right-handed batter Abdul Wahid Bangalzai top-scored with an unbeaten 136 off 155, hitting nine fours and six sixes. Sindh’s Danish Aziz, Abrar Ahmed and Shahnawaz Dahani picked two wickets apiece.
In return, Sindh chased down the target in the 42nd over. Sharjeel struck five fours and three sixes in his knock of 53 off 64 balls. Omair returned undefeated on 52 off 63, laced with seven fours. He knitted an 88-run unbeaten partnership with left-handed batter Danish, who scored 34 off 51 balls.
At the House of Northern in Islamabad, Central Punjab beat Northern by 30 runs. Due to overnight rain, the match was curtailed to 25 overs each innings. Batting first, Central Punjab on the back of an unbeaten knock of 70 from wicketkeeper-batter Muhammad Akhlaq scored 193 for five. Akhlaq struck seven fours and one six off 56 balls faced.
Northern’s Musa Khan grabbed two wickets for 32.
In return, Northern were dismissed for 163 in the 24th over. Umar Amin – the centurion in the last match top-scored with a 29-ball 34, hitting two fours and as many sixes. Central Punjab’s Wahab Riaz picked four wickets for 23. Ahmed Bashir and Qasim Akram bagged two wickets each.
Scores in brief:
Sindh beat Balochistan by six wickets at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad
Balochistan 209-9, 50 overs (Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 136; Danish Aziz 2-20, Abrar Ahmed 2-25, Shahnawaz Dahani 2-39)
Sindh 211-4, 41.3 overs (Sharjeel Khan 53, Omair Bin Yousuf 52 not out, Khurram Manzoor 37, Danish Aziz 34; Yasir Shah 2-40)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Southern Punjab by six wickets at Multan Cricket Stadium
Southern Punjab 183 all out, 41.4 overs (Sharoon Siraj 53, Salman Ali Agha 32, Zain Abbas; Khalid Usman 3-41, Kamran Ghulam 2-17, Arshad Iqbal 2-23)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 187-4, 35.5 overs (Adil Amin 57 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 50, Mohammad Haris 38 not out; Rahat Ali 2-34)
Central Punjab beat Northern by 30 runs at House of Northern, Islamabad
Central Punjab 193-5, 25 overs (Muhammad Akhlaq 70 not out, Ahmed Shehzad 34, Rizwan Hussain 31; Musa Ahmed 2-32)
Northern 163 all out, 24 overs (Umar Amin 34, Nasir Nawaz 25; Wahab Riaz 4-23, Ahmed Bashir 2-20, Qasim Akram 2-31)
