Umar, Asif guide Northern in T20 Cup

ISLAMABAD: Umar Amin (50) and Asif Ali (44 not out) saw Northern Punjab starting their National T20 Cup campaign on winning note against Southern Punjab at the Iqbal Stadium Faisalabad on Monday.

Set 136 runs to win, Northern chased down the target in 19 overs at the loss of five wickets.Northern dealt early blows in their innings, losing opener Naved Malik (1) and one-down Rohail Nazir (4) inside 3.1 overs.

But a 63-run stand between Umar, who cracked 50 off 41 with six fours and two sixes, and Mohammad Nawaz (24 off 25) for the third-wicket denied any further inroads to Southern Punjab’s bowlers for the next eight overs.

There was a ray of hope for Southern Punjab when Zahid Mahmood took Umar’s wicket. But Asif’s blistering 24-ball 44 not out, studded with three fours and three sixes, sealed the match.

Zahid and Mohammad Irfan were the standout bowlers for Southern, picking up two wickets apiece for 14 and 19 runs respectively.Earlier, Southern captain Shan Masood opted to bat first.

The decision however did not reap desired results as Shan (8 off 7) and Sami Aslam (3 off 8) were back in the pavilion in the first 20 balls of the match, with Mohammad Amir taking both wickets.

The Northern bowling attack kept a lid on the flow of runs as only Aamer Yamin and Sohaib Maqsood making solid contributions with the bat with 33 off 20 and 25 off 24, respectively.

Sohail Tanvir was the pick of the bowlers for Northern with three wickets for 27 runs.Scores in brief: Southern Punjab 135-9, 20 overs (Aamer Yamin 33, Sohaib Maqsood 25; Sohail Tanvir 3-27, Mohammad Aamir 2-19). Northern 137-5, 19 overs (Asif Ali 44, Umar Amin 50, Mohammad Nawaz 24; Mohammad Irfan 2-19, Zahid Mahmood 2-14).