Balochistan overcome Sindh in thriller at National T20 Cup

LAHORE: Balochistan began their National T20 Cup campaign with a thrilling two-run win over Sindh at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

Requiring 11 off the last over, Sindh fell just short of the target.

Umaid Asif provided Balochistan an earlier breakthrough in their defence of 181-run target by dismissing Sharjeel Khan (10) on the first ball of the fourth over. All-rounder Amad Butt, struck in back-to-back overs – fifth and seventh – accounting for Saud Shakeel (13) and opener Khurram Manzoor (14).

Amad’s next wicket was Sindh captain Sarfaraz Ahmed (20) as the right-arm fast finished with three wickets for 39 runs.

Asad Shafiq was the top-scorer for Sindh with a 25-ball 32, which included four fours, as he held an end. His stay at the crease was curtailed by 19-year-old Akif Javed, who later bowled Anwar Ali (20) as he returned two for 32 in four overs.

Umaid allowed the Sindh batsmen only two singles from the first three balls before Sohail Khan smashed the lanky pacer for a six on the fourth. Sindh lost two wickets as non-strikers Hassan Khan and Mohammad Hasnain tried to sneak singles on the last two balls with Sohail (31) failing to make a connection with the ball.

Earlier, Balochistan posted 180 for eight thanks to Bismillah Khan’s eighth T20 half-century after their captain Haris Sohail chose to bat.

The wicketkeeper-batsman smashed four fours and three sixes in his 42-ball 58 as he joined Imam-ul-Haq (10) in the third over with 32 runs on the board after opener Awais Zia scored a breezy nine-ball 25 – hitting four fours and a six.

Reflecting on his performance, Bismillah Khan, who was named man-of-the-match, said: “My aim was to stay at the wicket and bat deep as we had lost wickets earlier in the innings. Spending time at the crease allowed me to score runs.

“I receive a lot of support from the people of Balochistan and my hometown Quetta. They express their happiness through text messages and calls whenever I score runs.”

Bismillah and Haris (25) knitted a 67-run partnership for the fourth-wicket before the Balochistan captain was run out in the 15th over.

Mohammad Hasnain took two wickets for 31 runs.

The two teams meet again in the tournament on October 11 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.

On Wednesday, a century stand for the third wicket between debutant Abdullah Shafiq and veteran Kamran Akmal helped Central Punjab make light work of a 201-run chase against Southern Punjab.

Central Punjab overhauled the target in the penultimate over of their innings losing only three wickets in the process.

Abdullah reached the 100-run mark off only 55 balls (11 fours, 4 sixes). The richly experienced Kamran once again demonstrated his T20 batting prowess with a dazzling 75 off only 41 balls (11 fours and two sixes).