FAISALABAD - May, 11, 2015: Rawalpindi Rams rammed Abbottabad Falcons by six wickets to win the opening match of the Haier Super Eight T20 Cup 2015 that rolled into action here at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium on Monday.
Rams allowed Falcons to flutter their wings till 109 for all in 19.1 overs and on their part, Rams achieved the score losing four wickets in 17 overs, thus winning the opening match by six wickets with three overs to spare.
The match marked the return of Pakistan’s left-arm fast-bowler Muhammad Amir who celebrate his appearance in domestic cricket with a first ball wicket.
Amir, who was banned for five years for spot-fixing by the International Cricket Council (ICC), was allowed to participate in domestic cricket under the council’s revised laws.
He was given the ball in the second over of the Cool & Cool Presents Haier Super8 T20 Cup Group A match between Abbottabad Falcons and Rawalpindi Rams.
Playing for Rams, Amir bamboozled Falcon’s batsman Sajjad Ali with an in-swinging delivery for nought as he saw his off-stump flying.
Earlier, the Rams opted to field first after winning the toss in a rain-delayed match. Amir started the over with a wide but he recovered well on the first legal ball to blow away the opposition batsman’s stumps.
Sajjad’s opening partner and former test player Yasir Hameed could muster five runs before conceding his wicket to M Asghar. Fakhar Zaman and Adnan Raees sharing a fourth wicket partnership provided some authority to Faclcons’total by scoring 46 and 34 runs respectively, in an innings otherwise with four ducks and not another single player reaching double figures. Fakhar in his 37 balls innings slammed four fours and two sixes while his partner Adnan in the same number of balls hit one four and a six. Their 64 runs partnership which started in the fourth over lasted till the 14th over, when Zahid Mansoor sent Fakhar packing.
Though Amir opening the damaging act of Falcons batting, but it was Hammad Azam who ripped apart the line-up taking four wickets for 12 runs. Amir and M Asghar shared two wickets each for 15 and 21 runs respectively while Zahid Mansoor had one.
In reply, Rams had an early jolt when one of its openers, M Nawaz was stumped off Khalid Usman for nine runs and the team’s total of 18. But his partner stabilised the score by scoring 39 runs and later Zahid Mansoor remained unbeaten at 32 to get the target. In between his efforts, Tayyab Riaz and Umar Waheed contributed valuable 10 and seven runs respectively while Sohail Tanvir (10) along with Zahid completed the score.
Kamran Ghulan snared two Rams’batsmen while Khalid Usman and Fakhar Zaman shared one wicket each.
