Pakistan National T20 Cup 2022 Round Up, September 1st
The third day of the Pakistan National T20 Cup 2022 saw four teams coming up against each other in two enthralling contests on Thursday, September 1st. Let’s take a look at the highlights from each of the two games.
Southern Punjab vs Balochistan
Southern Punjab outclassed Balochistan by 21 runs in Match 5 of the ongoing Pakistan National T20 on Thursday morning at Rawalpindi Stadium.
After electing to bat first, Southern Punjab didn’t have a great start and lost bunch of wickets early on. Sharoon Siraj was trying to rebuild the innings but found his team limited to 80/6 after 14 overs. Thereafter, it was Mohammad Ilyas' (41 off 17) quick fire cameo, which bailed out Southern Punjab from the rough spot and finished with 156 for 6 in the first innings.
Mohammad Ilyas scored 41 off just 17 balls against Balochistan. PC: Twitter
Yasir Shah picked up three wickets and was the most successful bowler for Balochistan.
Chasing the target of 157 runs, Haseebullah (21) and Asad Shafiq (43) got Balochistan to a great start, scoring 50 for no loss at the end of six overs. However, skipper Agha Salman(3/15)himself took the charge, taking three wickets in his four overs, including the wickets of Abdul Bangalzai and Shan Masood. Hussain Talat (30) tried his best to revive the chase but failed and Southern Punjab registered their first win of the tournament.
Brief Score:
Southern Punjab: 156/6 (20 Overs)
Sharoon Siraj 57 (49)*, Mohammad Ilyas 41 (17)*;
Yasir Shah 3-17(4), Akif Javed 2-53(4)
Balochistan: 135/8 (20 Overs)
Asad Shafiq 43 (35), Hussain Talat 30 (25);
Agha Salman 3-15 (4), Sameen Gul 2-26 (4)
Southern Punjab won by 21 runs.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Northern
The 6th fixture of Pakistan National T20 saw Khyber Pakhtunkhwa get the better of Northern by just 2 runs in a last-over thriller on Thursday afternoon.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa won the toss and opted to bat first. Opening the batting, Sahibzada Farhan (53) and Mohammad Haris (33) got off to a flying start as the pair went on to add 83 for the first wicket.
Thereafter, the Northern attack led by Salman Irshad (3/38) and Usman Khan (3/26) got the breakthrough and brought Northern back into the game. Pakhtunkhwa kept losing wickets in regular intervals and as a result, the reigning champions could only manage to score 159 for 8 at the end of 20 overs.
Defending the total of 160, Pakhtunkhwa got two early breakthroughs in the powerplay and kept things tight for the Northern batters throughout the innings.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa skipper Khalid Usman collecting his player of the match award for his spell of 2 for 16. PC Twitter.
Khalid Usman was the pick of the bowlers for Pakhtunkhwa, taking 2 for 16, in his four overs quota.
Sohail Tanvir (19 off 12) and Aamer Jamal (29 off 15) lifted some hopes at the end. Needing 4 off the last ball, Imran Jr held his nerve and Pakhtunkhwa registered their second win by 2 runs.
Brief Score:
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 159/8 (20 Overs)
Sahibzada Farhan 53(45), Mohammad Haris 33(27);
Usman Khan 3-26 (4), Salman Irshad 3-38 (4)
Northern: 157/5 (20 Overs)
Hassan Tarar 38 (25), Ali Imran 31 (27);
Khalid Usman 2-16 (4), Arshad Iqbal 1-33 (4)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa won by 2 runs.
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