Sindh, Southern Punjab record easy wins in Second XI T20 Cup

LAHORE: Sindh and Southern Punjab proved too heavy for their rivals in the ongoing Second XI T20 Cup at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore on Sunday.

Sindh prevailed over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the first match of the day. An all-round performance from Mohammad Sarwar went in vain as Sindh beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by four wickets.

After being put into bat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost wickets at regular intervals and were reeling at 58 for seven when Mohammad Sarwar and Sajid Khan got together. The duo contributed 66 runs for the eighth wicket and helped the side post 125. Sarwar top-scored with a 34-ball 43, hitting three fours and two sixes, while Sajid remained unbeaten on 25 from 22 balls, striking a four and a six.

For Sindh, Tabish Khan did the damage and ended with match figures of four for 25. Fawad Alam picked three wickets for 16.

Mohammad Sarwar ripped through the Sindh top order which included the prized wicket of Sindh’s captain Fawad Alam for 12. He ended up with four wickets for 20 runs in four overs.

Mohammad Suleman (27 from 28 balls) and Ammad Alam (26 from 17 balls) guided Sindh past the target in 19.1 overs.

In the second match of the day, Southern Punjab beat Central Punjab by eight wickets.

After being put to bat, Central Punjab managed to score only 123 for seven in 20 overs.

Muhammad Akhlaq continued his rich form in the tournament and scored yet another half-century. His previous unbeaten knock of 57 from 46 balls helped Central Punjab win against Sindh on October 1, but his unbeaten 50 off 44 balls on Sunday failed to lead his team to a win.

For Southern Punjab, Dilbar Hussain and Mohammad Irfan picked two wickets apiece for 29 and 15 runs, respectively.

Southern Punjab chased down the target in the 17.1 overs. Zain Abbas top-scored with an unbeaten 35-ball 42, laced with four fours and a six. He along with Salman Ali (24 not out off 14 balls, 4 fours) contributed an undefeated 62 runs for the third wicket. Tayyab Tahir contributed a quick-fire 32 from 28 balls, striking four fours.