- Scorecards and tournament schedule is available here; Action pictures from the opening day are available here; please credit @PCB
- Free entry for fans to the Premium enclosures in all matches except the Qualifier and Final; Online tickets available at pcb.tcs.com.pk and physical tickets can be bought from dedicated TCS express centres in Islamabad & Rawalpindi
- The official nomenclature of the tournament is Bahria Town Champions T20 Cup; official hashtag is #DiscoveringChampions; Media houses are requested to use the correct event nomenclature and hashtag in headlines, bulletins and write-ups
Rawalpindi, 7 December 2024: UMT Markhors and ABL Stallions registered impressive four-wicket and 35-run wins respectively, as the Bahria Town Champions T20 Cup got off to a rousing start at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
The two matches saw a number of talented players displaying their talent, with the 19-year-old local boy Saad Masood playing a man-of-the-match role in UMT Markhors’ win over Nurpur Lions in the opening game.
The highlight of day one was a superlative century by experienced international all-rounder Hussain Talat who smashed an unbeaten 50-ball 101 for ABL Stallions, his maiden T20 century.
In the first match, UMT Markhors’ Masood finished with 2-20 and was ably supported by Mohammad Sarwar Afridi (2-11) and Nisar Ahmed (2-21) to keep Lions down to 150-7. For Lions Mohammad Awais Zafar top-scored with a 34-ball 40 with five boundaries. Hasan Nawaz hit a rapid 13-ball 22 with one six and three boundaries.
Markhors’ chase was anchored by opener Fakhar Zaman who scored a 25-ball 28 with a six and three fours before skipper Iftikhar Ahmed’s unbeaten 34-ball 42 with two sixes and a boundary crossed the line in company of Masood, sharing an unbroken 50-run stand for the seventh wicket.
In the Allied Bank Stallions win, Talat and Haris shared a rampaging 128-run third wicket stand after Lake City Panthers sent them into bat. Talat cracked a dozen boundaries and three maximums. Opener Yasir Khan gave Stallions a brisk start with a 15-ball 27 inclusive of two sixes and three boundaries.
The chase for Lake City Panthers started on a wrong note when their skipper Shadab Khan was ruled out and could not bat due to back pain. Haider Ali (26-ball 54) smashed four towering sixes and five boundaries in his 26-ball cracker and during his third wicket stand of 40 with Mubasir Khan (19-ball 29 with three fours and a six) it looked like their team would succeed in the chase. But spinner Usman Tariq, who took 3-25, removed Haider to halt the progress. In the end City Lake Panthers managed 181 in 19.1 overs. Pacer Mohammad Ali also bagged three wickets in his four overs giving away 33 runs.
Scores in brief:
Match 1 - UMT Markhors beat Nurpur Lions by four wickets, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
Nurpur Lions 150-7, 20 overs (Muhammad Awais Zafar 40 not out, Hasan Nawaz 22; Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 2-11, Saad Masood 2-20, Nisar Ahmed 2-21)
UMT Markhors 154-6, 19 overs (Iftikhar Ahmed 42 not out, Fakhar Zaman 28, Saad Masood 26 not out; Mohammad Salman 3-21, Shahid Aziz 2-27)
Player of the match – Saad Masood (UMT Markhors)
Match 2 - ABL Stallions beat Lake City Panthers by 35 runs, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
ABL Stallions 216-3, 20 overs (Hussain Talat 101 not out, Mohammad Haris 55, Yasir Khan 27; Mohammad Ibtisam 2-36)
Lake City Panthers 181 all out, 19.1 overs (Haider Ali 54, Mubasir Khan 29, Umar Siddiq 24, Amad Butt 23; Usman Tariq 3-25, Mohammad Ali 3-33, Tahir Hussain 2-41)
Player of the match – Hussain Talat (ABL Stallions)
Tomorrow’s fixture: Lake City Panthers vs Engro Dolphins, 12pm, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
