RAWALPINDI: ABL Stallions and City Lake Panthers emerged as the winners on Friday in the Bahria Town Champions T20 Cup at the Rawalpindi Stadium.
ABL Stallions beat Engro Dolphins by just five runs while City Lake Panthers crushed UMT Markhors by six wickets. Stallions are now top of the five-team table with three wins in four matches, accumulating six points. Markhors suffered their first loss but were still second with six points in four matches.
Sahibzada Farhan held the Dolphins’ innings with a brisk 59 off 38 balls, hitting six boundaries and two sixes. Young Qasim Akram was good in support with a rapid 24-ball 37, spiced with two sixes and four boundaries. Together they added 46 off 27 balls. When skipper Faheem Ashraf came to the crease, Dolphins needed 76 in the last five overs.
Faheem cracked two sixes and a four in his 12-ball 25 but in the end his runs were not enough. For Stallions, spinners Usman Tariq (2-22) and Mehran Mumtaz (2-32) checked the run chase. Pacer Mohammad Ali finished with 2-34.
The most notable point of the match was the return of promising fast bowler Ihsanullah after being sidelined for 20 months with injury. He bowled two wicket-less overs for Dolphins conceding 19 runs, showing no signs of discomfort. Earlier, allrounder Hussain Talat kept his good form intact, scoring 57 not out off just 34 balls.
His knock included two sixes and five boundaries. Hussian added a good 109 runs off just 56 balls with Mohammad Mohsin whose eye-catching knock of 55 came off 32 balls which contained four boundaries and as many sixes. The duo smashed a big 65 runs in the last five overs. Leg-spinner Mohammad Ramiz Junior was the pick of the bowlers with 2-29.
Haider Ali smashed 29-ball 62 to help City Lake Panthers chase a 164-run target in 18.5 overs in the second match of the day. Haider smashed five sixes and four boundaries. Umar Siddiq (30) and Sharjeel Khan (23) laid the foundation with an opening stand of 52. Haider and Mubasir furthered the chase with a third wicket stand of 65. Haider hit the winning six to seal the match.
The UMT Markhors’ total of 163-8 saw young local boy Saad Masood play an anchor’s role with a 39-ball 63 not out. His innings was laced with two sixes and six boundaries. Saad lifted his team from a precarious 7-70 as he kept the scoreboard ticking, adding 35 for the eighth wicket with Nisar Ahmed (21) and another invaluable 58 for the ninth wicket with Akif Javed who made only six. Nisar cracked two sixes in his ten-ball 21.
Scores in brief:
ABL Stallions 190-4 in 20 overs (Hussain Talat 57, Mohammad Mohsin 55, Yasir Khan 36; Mohammad Ramiz Junior 2-29)
Engro Dolphins 185-9 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 59, Qasim Akram 37, Faheem Ashraf 25; Usman Tariq 2-22, Mehran Mumtaz 2-32, Mohammad Ali 2-34) Player of the match: Mohammad Mohsin City Lake Panthers beat UMT Markhors by six wickets at Rawalpindi Stadium
UMT Markhors 163-8 in 20 overs (Saad Masood 63, Abdul Samad 24; Usama Mir 2-14) City Lake Panthers 169-4 in 18.5 overs (haider Ali 62 not out, Mubasir Khan 32, Umar Siddiq 30; Mohammad Imran Junior 2-17) Player of the match: Haider Ali .