Rafat, Rizwan keep Panthers alive

KARACHI: Skipper Rafatullah Mohmand and Mohammad Rizwan hit superb fifties to keep Peshawar Panthers alive when they defeated Abbottabad Falcons by six wickets in their vital Group A game of the Haier Super Eight T20 Cup 2014-15 at Iqbal Stadium Faisalabad on Wednesday.
Rafatullah (78) and Rizwan (51*) batted ferociously as Panthers raced to the 179-run target with six balls to spare after losing four wickets in the process.
Earlier, Sajjad Ali (52) and Adnan Raees (45*) enabled Falcons to post 178-4 in the stipulated 20 overs.
The second successive loss also put Falcons out of the event.
Chasing a seemingly tough target, Panthers had a splendid start with Rafatullah looking too dangerous. The experienced first-class cricketer smacked four sixes and ten fours from only 34 deliveries that kept his side in the hunt.
Rafat added 32 off 13 balls for the opening stand with left-hander Israrullah who was removed by Junaid Khan on a golden duck. Rafat kept punishing the bowlers, adding another 70 runs from only 42 balls for the second wicket with Iftikhar Ahmed (22) to make the chase easier for Panthers who were at that stage 102-2 in 9.5 overs.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rizwan, who made his international debut in Bangladesh recently, then took the responsibility and shared 48 runs from only 20 deliveries for the fifth wicket unbroken stand with Mohammad Fayyaz (9*) to make his team comfortably home in 19 overs.
Rizwan hammered three sixes and four fours in his unfinished 28-ball blitz.
Junaid Khan (1-19), Ahmed Jamal (1-56) and Kamran Ghulam (1-24) were the successful bowlers.
After opting to bat first, Sajjad Ali and Yasir Hameed (20) set the tone by providing a 66-run opening stand to Falcons from 50 deliveries. Yasir, who got run out, smashed two fours from 22 balls.
Spinner Zohaib Khan then got rid of Sajjad to leave Falcons at 78-2 in 10.2 overs. Sajjad hammered ten fours in his 35-ball fifty.
After Imran Khan Junior sent former Karachi player Fakhar Zaman (20) back, Adnan Raees (45*) put on 56 runs from just 30 deliveries for the fourth wicket with Kamran Ghulam (32) to guide Falcons to a good total.
Adnan smashed three sixes and three fours from 24 deliveries. Kamran smacked one six and two fours from 20 balls.
Imran Khan, Imran Khan Junior and Zohaib Khan got one wicket each. Rafatullah was declared man-of-the-match.
Panthers’ skipper Rafatullah said the credit goes to coach.
“The whole credit goes to coach who kept the dressing calm and did not allow the players to panic,” he said.
“I know these surfaces well as I have been playing over here for the last 17 to 18 years,” Rafat said.
Meanwhile, Falcons’ captain Junaid Khan said he had mostly juniors in his side.
“Apart from Yasir Hameed, the rest of the players in our side are mostly juniors and so they did not handle the pressure. They will learn with the passage of time and I hope they would handle such pressure in future,” the left-arm Test seamer said.
Meanwhile on Tuesday night the Group B game between Lahore Lions and Karachi Dolphins was abandoned due to rain with both sides sharing one point each.
On Wednesday night, in Group A meeting Sialkot Stallions were scheduled to face Rawalpindi Rams in a crucial tie. Both sides have already won their opening showdowns.
On Thursday (today), Karachi Dolphins will meet Multan Tigers at 5pm while Lahore Lions will lock horns with Faisalabad Wolves at 9pm.
Two teams from each group will make it to the semi-finals which will be held on May 17 with the final to be conducted on May 18.