· Southern Punjab beat Northern by one run in the second match of the day
Faisalabad, 13 September 2022: Southern Punjab in a thrilling contest defeated Northern by one run in the 14th fixture of the Cricket Associations T20 2022-23 being staged at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Tuesday. In the morning fixture, Sindh defeated Central Punjab by seven wickets at the same venue.
In the contest between Northern and Southern Punjab, Southern Punjab’s captain Rahat Ali opted to bat first after winning the toss as his side scored 135 for seven on the back of an unbeaten knock from Arafat Minhas – who scored 44 off 29 balls, smashing two fours and three sixes. Wicketkeeper-batter Waqar Hussain scored 42 off 39, hitting three fours and two sixes.
For Northern, Musa Khan bagged three wickets for 37, while Farhan Shafiq and Shadab Majeed grabbed two wickets each.
In return, Northern remained a run short of the target and managed to score only 134 for the loss of seven wickets. Aqib Shah and Taimoor Sultan scored 24 runs each.
For Southern Punjab, Majid Ali took three wickets for 26. Ali Usman bagged two wickets for 21 from his quota of four overs.
Earlier, in the day, Sindh recorded their third win in the Cricket Associations T20 tournament as they defeated Central Punjab by seven wickets at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.
After being put into bat, Central Punjab managed to score 131 for seven at the back of an unbeaten half-century from Mohammad Waheed – who struck seven fours and one six during his 41-ball 56 not out. Mohammad Rameez Jnr was other batter to return undefeated scoring 29 off 24 balls studded with four fours. The pair added unbroken 64-run partnership for the eighth wicket.
For Sindh, right-arm off-spinner Aaliyan Mahmood was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4-1-21-3. Left-arm spinner Arish Ali Khan bagged two wickets for six runs from his quota of four overs.
In reply, Sindh overhauled the 132-run target for the loss of three wickets in the 16th over. Opening batter Jahanzaib Sultan top-scored with a 20-ball 38, which included three fours and as many sixes. Mohammad Suleman was other notable run getter and returned unbeaten on 31 from 23 balls, smashing four fours and one six.
Scores in brief:
Sindh beat Central Punjab by seven wickets
Central Punjab 131-7, 20 overs (Mohammad Waheed 56 not out, Umar Akmal 24; Aaliyan Mahmood 3-21, Arish Ali Khan 2-6)
Sindh 132-3, 15.5 overs (Jahanzaib Sultan 38, Mohammad Suleman 31 not out; Asad Raza 2-24)
Southern Punjab beat Northern by one wicket
Southern Punjab 135-7, 20 overs (Arafat Minhas 44 not out, Waqar Hussain 42; Musa Khan 3-37, Farhan Shafiq 2-28, Shadab Majeed 2-29)
Northern 134-7, 20 overs (Aqib Shah 24, Taimoor Sultan 24; Majid Ali 3-26, Ali Usman 2-21)
