All-round Anwar powers Sindh to victory

KARACHI: Anwar Ali’s all-round performance on Sunday enabled Sindh to pull off their first win when they overwhelmed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 63 runs in their second round fixture of the Pakistan Cup One-day tournament for the First XI here at NBP Sports Complex.

Anwar scored 65 off 42 balls as Sindh posted 256 all out. Anwar then took 2-38 as Sindh folded KP for 193.

Batting first Sindh were at one stage 162-6. However, Anwar and Hassan Khan (66) showed lot of responsibility, sharing 92 vital runs for the seventh wicket association to stabilise the innings.

Anwar was more destructive, hammering four fours and three sixes in his fantastic knock. Hassan, an emerging allrounder, smacked three fours and one six in his 73-ball responsible knock.

Earlier, Asad Shafiq (42) and dashing Azam Khan (37) did well with the bat. Asad hammered two fours from 63 balls while Azam struck two fours and one six from 36 deliveries.

Left-arm spinner Asif Afridi got 5-31 in his quota of ten overs, his best figures in List A cricket.

In response, KP, who had beaten Central Punjab in the first round outing, failed to repeat the same batting performance and were skittled out for 193 in the 43rd over. Sajid Khan chipped in with 47-ball 53, striking five fours and three sixes. Kamran Ghulam made 59-ball 38, hammering three fours. Fast bowler Mohamad Umar (3-21), Mohammad Asghar (2-33) and Anwar Ali (2-38) did well with the leather.

Meanwhile here at SBP Ground Northern demolished Central Punjab by 154 runs, their second successive victory.

Northern posted 382-8 in the allotted 50 overs with opener Taimur Sultan scoring 102, his first List A hundred. Taimur smashed 11 fours and three sixes in his 74-ball fine knock. He added 165 runs for the opening stand with Ali Imran who chipped in with a 59-ball 56, hammering five fours and one six. Asif Ali then smashed a rapid 41-ball 76, striking five sixes and seven fours to boost the total. Asif added 86 in the fifth wicket stand with Hammad Azam who banged three fours and two sixes in his 30-ball 45 fire-work.

Fast bowler Ahmad Bashir got 4-86 in ten overs. In response, Central Punjab were bundled out for 228 in the 38th over with Mohammad Akhkaq (55) and skipper Saad Nasim (53) scoring fifties.

Akhlaq struck seven fours from 51 balls while Saad Nasim hammered four fours and one six from 51 balls.

Tayyab Tahir made 54-ball 47, hammering four fours and one six.

Hammad Azam also did well with the leather, taking 4-42 in eight overs. Sohail Tanvir, Athar Mahmood and Salman Irshad got two wickets each.

Here at UBL Sports Complex Balochistan recorded their first win when they beat Southern Punjab by one wicket.

Skipper Imran Farhat scored 96 off 107 balls with 11 fours to enable Balochistan achieve the 245-run target with five balls to spare after losing nine wickets in the process.

Opener Bismillah Khan made 56-ball 48, striking seven fours and one six. Kashif Bhatti (33) and Umaid Asif (30) in the end did well with the bat.

Leggie Zahid Mahmood was the pick of the bowlers with 4-46 in ten overs.

Umer Khan and Mohammad Ilyas got two wickets each.

Earlier, Aamer Yamin, batting at No7, made 81-ball 73 with six fours and two sixes to enable Southern Punjab post 244 all out in the 47thover. Mukhtar Ahmad hit 43-ball 45 with eight fours and one six to take his side to a fighting total. Taj Wali, Gohar Faiz, Kashif Bhatti and Abdul Wahid Bangalzai got two wickets each.