Sports Bulletin

SALMAN KHAN MULTAN (October 4, 2020):-Balochistan recorded a 16-run win over the luckless Southern Punjab side to gain two valuable points in the ninth match of the National T20 Cup for First XIs on Sunday evening at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Southern Punjab’s poor run continued in the tournament as the Shan Masood-led side crashed to their fourth consecutive defeat, they are languishing at the bottom of the six-team points table without a single point in their kitty. Balochistan on the other hand recorded their second win in three matches; they now have accumulated four points. On Sunday, Shan fought hard with Khushdil Shah in a 103-run alliance for the third wicket in pursuit of the 231-run target. Left-armer Akif Javed accounted for both to settle the deal for Balochistan as the asking run-rate went beyond Southern Punjab batsmen; they finished on 214 for six in their 20 overs. Both left-handers (Shan and Khushdil) scored 72 runs each, Shan’s innings came off 42 balls and included three sixes and nine fours. Khushdil’s 72 included four sixes and seven fours, he faced 34 balls. Sohaib Maqsood was the only other batsman to offer some resistance scoring 20 runs off 15 balls with the help of four fours. Akif took three wickets for 35 runs to spearhead his side’s bowling attack. Umar Gul, Amad Butt and Kashif Bhatti took a wicket apiece. Reflecting on his performance man-of-the-match Imam-ul-Haq said: “As openers we were losing wickets at the start in earlier games, it is my responsibility as an international player to score and perform. The pitch was a bit slow at the start but I decided to spend time on the pitch and that eventually helped me very well. We didn’t have a target in mind as such as we wanted to gauge the conditions, Haris and Bismillah helped me stay at the pitch, we then aimed for 180-190 runs but the late flourish in the innings helped us get past the 200-run mark.” Balochistan won the toss and opted to bat first on a batting friendly pitch. They posted a mammoth total courtesy a blazing batting performance led by man-of-the-match Imam-ul-Haq and some sloppy bowling especially in the death overs by the Southern Punjab bowlers. Imam scored a scintillating 94 off 54 balls, the left-handed opener hit four sixes and 10 fours in his stroke-filled innings. Imam shared a dazzling 97 runs partnership in a mere 42 balls with his captain Haris Sohail as Southern Punjab bowlers lost the plot in the death overs. Haris smashed seven fours and two sixes in his 53 that came off 27 balls. Amad Butt provided the icing on the cake for Balochistan by scoring a whirlwind unbeaten 22 off 7 balls (two fours, two sixes) as 43 runs were conceded in the last two overs of the innings bowled by Hussain Talat (21 runs) and Bilawal Bhatti (22 runs) respectively. At the start of the innings wicketkeeper batsman Bismillah Khan scored 39 off 23 in an 80-run second wicket partnership which laid the foundations of the eventual Balochistan total. Scores in brief: Balochistan 230-4, 20 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 94, Hairs Sohail 53, Bismillah Khan 39; Hussain Talat 1-35) Southern Punjab 214-6, 20 overs (Khushdil Shah 72 , Shan Masood 72; Akif Javed 3-35) Result – Balochistan won by 16 runs Player of the match – Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan) Monday’s fixtures: 1500 PST – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Sindh. Faisal Afridi and Aftab Gilani (on-field umpires), Waleed Yaqub (third umpire), Zameer Haider (fourth umpire); Nadeem Arshad (match referee). 1930 PST - Balochistan v Central Punjab. Zameer Haider and Nasir Hussain Snr (on-field umpires), Faisal Afridi (third umpire), Qaiser Waheed (fourth umpire); Mohammad Anees (match referee)

SALMAN KHAN ISLAMABAD(October 3, 2020):-Defending champions Northern once again displayed their all-round depth in a comfortable 35-run win over Central Punjab in the seventh match of the National T20 Cup for First XIs on Saturday evening at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Northern have attained maximum six points from their first three matches and are placed at the top of the six-team points table. The impressive Northern bowling line-up defended a 155-run total by restricting Central Punjab to 120 in 18.1 overs as pacers Musa Khan and Haris Rauf led the way taking  three wickets each conceding 23 and 26 runs respectively. Veteran Sohail Tanvir (two for 15) and skipper Shadab Khan (two for 25) took two wickets apiece as they provided more than adequate support to the young fast bowling duo of Haris and Musa. Central Punjab lost their way in the chase despite being placed at 90 for two in the 13th over, a stunning collapse saw them lose their last eight wickets for the addition of a mere 30 runs. Opener Abid Ali (36 off 33 balls five fours) fought hard for his side but his dismissal to Musa triggered the Central Punjab collapse, Abdullah Shafiq contributed 20 runs.  No other batsmen could offer much fight to the Northern attack. For another all-round effort Shadab Khan was named man-of-the-match, he also won the award in the previous game against Southern Punjab. Reflecting on his and his team’s performance Shadab Khan said: “I am very pleased with my team performance and also happy to contribute as an all-rounder. We made a great comeback once again after a tough start with the bat and even while bowling we bounced back from a difficult situation. The presence of Musa and Haris is a huge plus for us as their pace makes a real difference at any stage of the game. The reason for our success is our unity and fighting spirit, we never give-up in any situation and that has helped us win two tough games from difficult situations.” Earlier, Central Punjab who opted to bowl first after winning the toss, restricted Northern to 155 for eight. Leg-spinner Usman Qadir was the pick of the CP bowlers taking three wickets for 28 runs in his four economical overs. Captain Shadab Khan scored a quickfire 30 off 17 balls with the help of two sixes and two fours to lead his side’s recovery after they had limped to 40 for thee in the 10th over of their innings. Young wicketkeeper batsman Rohail Nazir hit two sixes and a four in his unbeaten 21 off 8 balls to take his team past the 150-run mark. Asif Ali hit three sixes in his 24 off 11 balls. Umar Amin contributed 21 off 14 balls with the help of two sixes. Scores in brief: Northern 155-8, 20 overs (Shadab Khan 30; Asif Ali 24, Rohail Nazir 21 not out; Usman Qadir 3-28) Central Punjab 120 all out, 18.1 overs (Abid Ali 36, Abdullah Shafiq 20; Musa Khan 3-23, Haris Rauf 3-26) Result – Northern won by 35 runs Player of the match – Shadab Khan (Northern) Sunday’s fixtures: 1500 PST - Balochistan v Southern Punjab. Qaiser Waheed and Waleed Yaqoob (on-field umpires), Aftab Gilani (third umpire), Nasir Hussain Snr (fourth umpire); Iqbal Sheikh (match referee). 1930 PST - Northern v Sindh. Faisal Afridi and Nasir Hussain Snr (on-field umpires), Zameer Haider (third umpire), Qaiser Waheed (fourth umpire); Iftikhar Ahmed (match referee)

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (October 3, 2020);-Northern batsman Haider Ali has been fined for a breach of the PCB Code of Conduct for Player and Player Support Personnel during his side’s 35-run win over Central Punjab in the seventh match of the National T20 Cup First XI tournament at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Saturday. Haider was fined 30 per cent of his applicable match fee for a Level 1 offence relating to showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during a match. The incident occurred in the ninth over of Northern’s innings when Haider showed his bat to the umpire, which was deemed as a disagreement over the decision, after being adjudged LBW on an Usman Qadir’s delivery. Haider was charged for the violation of Article 2.8 by on-field umpires Aftab Gillani and Faisal Khan Afridi, third umpire Waleed Yaqoob, and fourth umpire Nasir Hussain. Haider pleaded guilty and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Iftikhar Ahmed.  

SALMAN KHAN MULTAN (October 2, 2020):-A sparkling performance by Shaheen Shah Afridi 5 for 20 helped Rizwan’s XI to earn a big victory by 8 wickets against Balochistan in the National T20 Cricket Cup 2020 fixture at Multan Cricket Stadium Multan. Shaheen caused early inroads and then returned in the death overs to finish with figures of 4-0-20-5 to restrict Balochistan to 152 for nine after they had elected to bat first. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa top-order then milked Balochistan’s bowling to race to victory in 17 overs for the loss of two wickets. It was a good bounce back by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after they had suffered a 79-run defeat against defending champions Northern in a tall-scoring match on Wednesday. Balochistan will have a chance to avenge for this loss when they will again meet Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Rawalpindi on 10 October. Shaheen stole the third day honours after Pakistan’s young batting guns had dominated the first two days of the 33-match competition. Shaheen removed Imam-ul-Haq (9) and Awais Zia (24) in his first spell and then returned to dismiss Ammad Butt (4), Yasir Shah (0) and Umaid Asif (7) as Balochistan managed 37 runs in the last five overs to finish at 152 for nine. Reflecting on his and his team performance, Shaheen Shah Afridi said: “I am very pleased with my performance and want to thank Allah for my success. I enjoy my bowling, I try hard wherever I play, in the first match we didn’t have an idea that the pitch will be so flat, in the second game today we changed our plans and worked out what length to bowl on the pitch and I am happy we got success with the strategy.” Shaheen was well supported by fellow left-armer Usman Shinwari who picked up two wickets but went for 48 runs. For Balochistan, Imran Butt finished as the top-scorer with a 32-ball 37, while Haris Sohail (29) and Awais Zia (24) were the other contributors. In their 153-run chase, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa openers Mohammad Rizwan (57 not out) and Fakhar Zaman (25) provided a 44-run start in less than five overs, before Rizwan and Mohammad Hafeez (45,  25b, 5x4, 3x6) added 66 runs for the second wicket. Rizwan returned unbeaten on 57, an innings that came off  42 balls and included five four and two sixes. Iftikhar Ahmed (27) was the other not out batsmen as the third wicket put on 47 runs in  30 balls. Scores in brief Balochistan 152-9, 20 overs (Imran Butt 37, Haris Sohail 29, Awais Zia 24; Shaheen Shah Afridi 5-20, Usman Shinwari 2-48) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 157-2, 17 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 57 not out, Mohammad Hafeez 45, Iftikhar Ahmed 29 not out, Fakhar Zaman 25) Result – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa won by eight wickets Player of the match – Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Saturday’s fixtures: 1500 PST - Northern v Central Punjab. Aftab Gillani and Faisal Khan Afridi (on-field umpires), Waleed Yaqub (third umpire), Nasir Hussain Snr (fourth umpire); Iftikhar Ahmed (match referee). 1930 PST - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Southern Punjab. Nasir Hussain Snr and Zameer Haider (on-field umpires), Qaiser Waheed (third umpire), Faisal Khan Afridi (fourth umpire); Iqbal Sheikh (match referee)    

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (October 2, 2020):-Australia have retained top positions in the ICC Women’s Team Rankings for both ODIs and T20Is while India have overtaken New Zealand to grab third position in the T20I table, after the annual rankings update carried out on Friday. In other noteworthy changes in the latest update, which expunges results from the 2016-17 season, weights the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons at 50% and the 2019-20 matches at 100%, South Africa have overtaken New Zealand to fourth place and Bangladesh have leapfrogged Sri Lanka to eighth in the ODI table. Record lead for Australia in ODIs: Six-time ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup champions and winners of both editions of the ICC Women’s Championship, Australia’s stellar display during the rating period saw them win 20 of 21 ODIs, increasing their tally by eight points to 160. Their massive lead of 39 points over second-placed India is the largest by any team (men or women) in any form of the game. It comes on the back of 3-0 series wins over India, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and an earlier 2-1 win over England at the start of the ICC Women’s Championship, only a few months after England had won the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2017. India (121) and England (119) have lost four points each while clinging on to their second and third positions, respectively, while South Africa (107) enjoy a 13-point lead over New Zealand (94), with the West Indies (85), Pakistan (77), Bangladesh (61) and Sri Lanka (47) following in that order. India’s gain only change in top 15 of T20Is list: The women’s T20I rankings table sees Australia and England retain the top two positions, their points tally remaining 291 and 280, respectively. India, who made the final of this year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, have overtaken New Zealand, in what is the only change in the top 15 of the 56-team list. The biggest improvement in rankings has been registered by Brazil, who are up 11 places to 27th, after a gain of 15 rating points, while the biggest ranking fall has been for Malaysia, who are down from 31st to 38th. Samoa (up two places to 16th), Indonesia (up two places to 20th) and the United States of America (up four places to 31st) are among other teams to have made notable progress.

ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (October 2, 2020):-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has invited 27 players for a women’s High Performance Camp, which will be kicked off from October 8, 2020 at National Cricket Stadium. According to media department of PCB, the announcement of women’s High Performance Camp has completed a slow but careful and strategic resumption of all cricket activities. The 2020-21 season had begun on 30 September with the National T20 Cup and the six Cricket Association U19 squads were named on Thursday for the three-day and one-day National U19 Tournaments, which will be played from 13 October to 29 November. The 27 cricketers invited for the High Performance Camp are: Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Ayesha Zafar, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana Khan, Iram Javed, Javeria Khan, Javeria Rauf, Kainat Imtiaz, Kaynat Hafeez, Maham Tariq, Muneeba Ali, Nahida Khan, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sandhu, Natalia Pervaiz, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Saba Nazir, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz and Syeda Aroob Shah As part of the PCB Covid-19 protocols, all 27 players and player support personnel will undergo first round of testing at their residences, the cost of which will be reimbursed by the PCB. Players and player support personnel with negative tests will then assemble in Karachi, where they will undergo the second round of tests before being allowed to integrate with the larger group. During the camp, the players and player support personnel will undergo third round of testing to ensure their health and safety. During the training period, the players and player support personnel will follow the bio-secure protocols while being stationed at a hotel in Karachi. The High Performance Department will appoint the player support personnel, who will be announced in due course. Meanwhile, Lahore-based cricketers have been visiting the NHPC and taking advantage of the presence of experienced coaches in Atiq-uz-Zaman and Mohammad Zahid. The two coaches have split their time between men and women cricketers, while giving them the required attention and training as per their requirements. Atiq-uz-Zaman: “I have been impressed with their fitness standards. Despite the Covid-19 lockdown, the girls have maintained good fitness, which reflects their positive and professional approach. Fitness is the key, which specially helps in fielding and I am pleased with the dedication these girls are showing to further hone their skills. They are willing to go an extra yard to improve something which hasn’t been traditionally a hallmark of our cricket.” Mohammad Zahid: “Fast bowling is all about rhythm and the quickies are not too far from the top flight. The more these girls will bowl in the nets, the better they will get. Our objective is to help them rise to the standard where they play and perform in competitive cricket. “David Hemp’s appointment is a decision in the right direction. He is an experienced coach and understands the psyche, dynamics and requirements of women cricketers. All the coaches at the NHPC look forward to welcoming him in Lahore and will support and assist him in any way we can.” Wicketkeeper-batter Sidra Nawaz said: “It is very refreshing to be at the NHPC, which provides the cricket atmosphere and encourages professional cricketers to get actively involved and utilise the facilities. We have been missing this environment for nearly six months but with the opening of the NHPC and availability of renowned coaches, it is helping all of us to cover up for the lost time.” All-rounder Aliya Riaz said: “I know our domestic season has not been announced though the High Performance Camp has been unveiled, but we are taking this period as pre-season training and preparation so that they are not rusty when our cricket resumes. It is a blessing to have such outstanding training facilities with qualified coaches also available to us. We are thoroughly enjoying these training sessions and hope hard work in these sessions will pay off when our cricket commences.”

SB REPORT LAHORE (October 2, 2020);-Southern Punjab and Sindh won their matches on Friday in the ongoing Second XI National T20 Cup at the Gaddafi Stadium. Northern v Southern Punjab Zain Abbas’ unbeaten 90 off 52 balls secured a seven-wicket win for Southern Punjab in their first match of the Second XI National T20 Cup. Zain and opener Tayyab Tahir (40 off 41) stitched a 105-run stand for the second wicket to help their team overhaul the 148-run target in 18.3 overs. Out of Southern Punjab’s three wickets, two were picked by Athar Mehmood, right-arm medium fast, for 20 runs. Southern Punjab’s Mohammad Irfan, slow left-arm, took three wickets for 36 runs, while left-arm fast Zia-ul-Haq and off-spinner Salman Ali shared four wickets between them after their captain Mohammad Naveed Yasin elected to bowl first. Nasir Nawaz and Omair Masood were the only notable run-getters with 29 and 26 for Northern as they made 147 for eight in 20 overs. Scores in brief: Northern 147-8, 20 overs (Nasir Nawaz 29, Omair Masood 26; Mohammad Irfan 3-36, Zia-ul-Haq 2-26, Salman Ali 2-28) Southern Punjab 148-3, 18.3 overs (Zain Abbas 90 not out, Tayyab Tahir 40; Athar Mehmood 2-20) Southern Punjab won by seven wickets Balochistan v Sindh Sindh rode to a five-wicket win on the back of Hassan Mohsin’s quickfire 34-ball 71 not out against Balochistan. The 22-year-old made a cakewalk of the 164-run target, smashing eight fours and four sixes, as his team chased it down with three balls spare. He along with Saad Ali (33 off 30) knitted an 82-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Balochistan’s slow-left arm Jalat Khan took two wickets for 29 runs. Captain Azeem Ghumman, who scored run-a-ball 34, and Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, who scored a half-century, provided Balochistan a 77-run opening stand after the former elected to bat. Abdul Wahid smashed five fours and four sixes to score 73 off 49. Ayyaz Tasawar, batting at four, made 27 off 16, which included three fours and two sixes. Scores in brief: Balochistan 163-5, 20 overs (Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 73, Azeem Ghumman 34, Ayyaz Tasawar 27) Sindh 164-5, 19.3 overs (Hassan Mohsin 71, Saad Ali 33, Ammad Alam 23; Jalat Khan 2-29) Sindh won by five wickets Khyber Pakhtunkhwa play Southern Punjab in the first match on Saturday, while Balochistan and Central Punjab face-off in the second match of the day.

SALMAN KHAN MULTAN (October 1, 2020):-Balochistan overcame Sindh in their opening contest of National T-20 Cricket Cup 2020 by just 2 runs in the last over of the game at Multan Cricket Stadium on Thursday. Sindh required 11 off the last over. Umaid Asif allowed the opposition 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 not out from 16 balls) failing to make a connection with the ball. Umaid provided Balochistan an earlier breakthrough in their defence of 181-run target by dismissing Sharjeel Khan (10 off eight) 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 off eight) and opener Khurram Manzoor (14 off 17). Amad’s and Balochistan’s next wicket was Sindh captain Sarfaraz Ahmed (20 off 21) 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 off 11, two sixes) as he returned two for 32 in four overs. 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 off 11) 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, told pcb.com.pk: “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 off 14) knitted a 67-run partnership for the fourth-wicket before the Balochistan captain was run out in the 15th over. Sindh’s Mohammad Hasnain took two wickets for 31 runs. The two teams meet again in the tournament on 11 October at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi. Scores in brief: Balochistan 180-8, 20 overs (Bismillah Khan 58, Awais Zia 25, Haris Sohail 25; Mohammad Hasnain 2-31) Sindh 178-9, 20 overs (Asad Shafiq 32, Sohail Khan 31 not out, Anwar Ali 20, Sarfaraz Ahmed 20; Amad Butt 3-39, Akif Javed 2-32) Balochistan won by two runs

SB REPORT LAHORE (October 1, 2020):-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed an Australia-based David Hemp coach for national women team, said an official of cricket board media department on Thursday. Hemp, who turns 50 next week, has previously coached the Melbourne Stars’ and Victorian women's cricket teams in Australia’s Women's Big Bash League between 2015 and 2020, and is also a former Bermuda and Glamorgan captain. Hemp played 271 first-class matches and scored over 15,000 runs for Glamorgan, Free State and Warwickshire. He also represented Bermuda in 22 one-day internationals from 2006 to 2009, scoring 641 runs with a century and four half-centuries. Hemp is a qualified UK level four coach who has had a coaching role with Australia’s team for cricketers with an intellectual disability; Premier Cricket’s Prahran and was the director of coaching at Scotch College. Urooj Mumtaz, Acting Head of Pakistan Women’s Wing and Chair of women’s selection committee: “The PCB is pleased to have appointed David Hemp as Pakistan national women’s team head coach. David brings with him wealth of experience and knowledge, more importantly around women’s cricket development, which is extremely critical to our strategy as part of our endeavour to increase the pool of cricketers and also help them top rise to the level of the front-running international sides. “David has worked for five years in Australia with the Melbourne and Victoria women’s sides and he is a perfect fit for the role we were looking for as he will be able to use that experience and knowledge to translate into our system that will ultimately benefit Pakistan women’s cricket. “I am sure our players will make optimum use of David’s expertise and strict work ethics, while I am sure David will have an enjoyable time when he relocates to Pakistan to join the elite company of illustrious coaching staff of Atiq-uz-Zaman, Grant Bradburn, Mohammad Yousuf, Mohammad Zahid and Saqlain Mushtaq at our National High Performance Centre.” David takes over from Iqbal Imam, who had succeeded Mark Coles. Pakistan will feature in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier next year for the event proper that will take place in New Zealand in 2022. The PCB had advertised for the role on 18 August and a total of 38 coaches, including 18 foreigners from various Test playing countries had expressed their interests. The final interviews were carried by Wasim Khan (PCB Chief Executive), Urooj Mumtaz and Grant Bradburn (Head of International Coach Development) last week.

SALMAN KHAN MULTAN (September 30, 2020):-A record second-wicket partnership between Zeeshan Malik and Haider Ali orchestrated a 79-run win for Northern against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the opening match of the National T20 Cup First XI tournament at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Northern were 24 for one after three overs when 19-year-old Haider, who made his Pakistan debut in the last of the three T20Is against England earlier this month, joined Zeeshan at the crease. The two batsmen added 180 runs in 14.1 overs that lifted the defending champions to 242 for three, the second highest score in a T20 innings in the history of the National T20 Cup, after Shadab Khan elected to bat first. Haider smashed five sixes and seven fours in his blazing 90 off 48 balls. Reflecting on his performance, Haider told pcb.com.pk: “It is always a great feeling to start off a tournament on a high and this innings has provided me a lot of confidence. Though I am a little disappointed on missing out what would have been my maiden century in T20 cricket, I thoroughly enjoyed the partnership with Zeeshan Malik. Our decision to bat first paid dividends as it allowed us to make the most of the true bounce on offer. “My aim is to now build on this start and play a vital role in helping my side defend the title.” Zeeshan, the 23-year-old right-handed batsman, smashed a 47-ball 77, which was studded with eight fours and three sixes, before Junaid Khan, who took two wickets for 44 runs in four overs, bowled him. Asif Ali struck three fours and a six in 10 balls during his 23 not out. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were dealt an early blow as Mohammad Nawaz, left-arm orthodox, bowled Fakhar Zaman on the fourth ball of the innings. By the first ball of the seventh over, they had lost their captain Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Hafeez, which reduced them to 46 for three. Problems amplified for them as Shoaib Malik fell in the 13th over after scoring a 19-ball 20, following which Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost track of the run chase. Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Nawaz took two wickets apiece for 34 and 37 runs, while Musa Khan dismissed Mohammad Mohsin (14 off 10), Shaheen Shah Afridi (0) and Usman Khan Shinwari (0) in the last over. At the end of the 20 overs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were 163 for nine. They have a chance to avenge this defeat on 16 October when the two sides meet again at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi. Scores in brief: Northern 242-3, 20 overs (Haider Ali 90, Zeeshan Malik 77, Asif Ali 23 not out, Ali Imran 21; Junaid Khan 2-44) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 163-9, 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 62, Iftikhar Ahmed 28, Shoaib Malik 28; Musa Khan 3-31, Sohail Tanvir 2-34, Mohammad Nawaz 2-37)