Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI:-Defending champions Pakhtunkhwa recorded their second win in as many matches with a two-run victory over Northern in a last-ball thriller at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are locked on four points with table toppers Sindh following today’s win, while Northern are positioned fifth, just above Central Punjab who are also yet to register a win. Earlier in the day, Southern Punjab recorded their first win of the Kingdom Valley National T20 Cup 2022-23 with a 21-run win over Balochistan. With one win each now, Balochistan and Southern Punjab are standing at third and fourth positions. Captain Khalid Usman bowls Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to win Northern needed 160 to win and their opener Hasan Nawaz (38 off 25) looked on course to hand them their first win, but Khalid Usman’s off-spin put a dent in their hopes as he accounted for Nasir Nawaz and Hasan in the fifth and ninth overs to reduce the batting side to 53 for three. What further hurt Northern was Khalid’s discipline – half of his 24 deliveries were dots as he finished with terrific figures of two for 16. Rohail Nazir (24 off 29) and Ali Imran (31 off 27) ignited hopes with a 48-run stand off 41 balls, but the partnership ended at the end of the 15th over with Rohail’s dismissal and five balls later Ali followed him to the pavilion. Aamir Jamal’s 29 not out off 15 lifted Northern’s scoring rate towards the backend of the innings and with 15 required off the last six, he brought his side closer to the win, but Mohammad Imran defended the target. Sahibzada Farhan was the star of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s innings with a 45-ball 53 (two fours and three sixes) and was duly supported by wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris (33 off 27) from the other end. The opening pair put 83 runs in the first 10 overs that set the tone for the last 10 overs. Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, in the middle order, made 24 off 20, while Khalid contributed 19 off 14. Usman Khan Shinwari and Salman Irshad returned three for 26 and three for 38. Sharoon, Ilyas blast Southern Punjab to comfortable win Southern Punjab looked down and out for the most part of their innings following their captain’s decision to bat as they were six down for only 80 in 14 overs before a blistering partnership between player of the match Sharoon Siraj and Mohammad Ilyas turned the game on its head as Southern Punjab set 157 for Balochistan. The two added 76 runs to the team’s total at a rate of more than two runs per ball. Sharoon scored 57 not out off 49 in which he struck six fours and two sixes. But it was Ilyas’ whirlwind 41 off 17 – in which he smashed four sixes and two fours – that lifted Southern Punjab to 156 for six. Yasir Shah, the Balochistan captain, was economical and made regular inroads, finishing with three for 17. His scalps were Sohaib Maqsood, Moinuddin and Muhammad Imran. Balochistan’s run chase was off to a flying start with Haseebullah (21 off 22) and Asad Shafiq (43 off 35) adding 57 in 8.2 overs. But, once Salman Ali Agha, the Southern Punjab captain, accounted for Haseebullah in the ninth over, the match started to slip from Balochistan’s grasp. Young left-arm wrist spinner Faisal Akram sent Asad back to the pavilion in the next over. Salman then accounted for Abdul Wahid Bangalzai and Shan Masood in the 13th over to reduce the batting side to 82 for four. With 30 off 25, Hussain Talat showed some resistance down the order, but pacer Sameen Gul ensured that Balochistan never got back in the game with his dismissals of hard-hitting Amad Butt and Hussain. Scores in brief: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Northern by 2 runs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 159-8, 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 53, Mohammad Haris 33, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 24; Usman Khan Shinwari 3-26, Salman Irshad 3-38) Northern 157-5, 20 overs (Hasan Nawaz 38, Ali Imran 31, Aamir Jamal 29 not out, Rohail Nazir 24; Khalid Usman 2-16) Player of the match – Khalid Usman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Southern Punjab beat Balochistan by 21 runs Southern Punjab 156-6, 20 overs (Sharoon Siraj 57 not out, Mohammad Ilyas 41 not out; Yasir Shah 3-17, Akif Javed 2-53) Balochistan 135-8, 20 overs (Asad Shafiq 43, Hussain Talat 30, Haseebullah 21; Salman Ali Agha 3-15, Sameen Gul 2-26) Player of the match – Sharoon Siraj (Southern Punjab) Friday’s fixtures Balochistan v Sindh starts at 0930 Central Punjab v Southern Punjab starts at 1345

Abdul Jabbar Faisal RAWALPINDI:-A 92-run innings by Saim Ayub encouraged Sindh's bowlers to restrict their opponents Northern batters at 180 runs in 20 overs, as they were chasing 191 runs target in the third game of National T20 Cricket Cup 2022 at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. Acting captain of Northern Ali Imran won the toss and put opposition into bat, as the weather for the game of cricket was beautiful in the empty stadium of Pindi. Sindh managed 190 runs for 7 on the board in allotted 20 overs. Saim Ayub was top scorer with 92 runs. Saim Ayub plunder the runs with massive hitting, as he smashed six four and seven sixes during his 52 balls innings. Saad Khan contributed 26 runs not out while Saud Shakil scored 20 runs in 18 balls to set 191 target for the home town cricketers. Sohail Tenvir snared three batters with his magical bowling after conceding 28 runs in his 4 overs. Usman Shinvari, Mehran, Salman and Aamir shared one wicket each. Northern batters could aggregate 180 for runs in 20 overs, as they were just 10 runs behind their target. Nasir Nawaz was the best scorer of the Northern with 39 runs in 21 balls innings. Mubasir Khan scored 33 was the other notable performance. Mir Hamza (3 for 33), Sohail Khan (2 for 38) and Saim Ayub (1 for 26) were the wicket-takers for Sindh. Saim Ayub claimed player of the match award. Summarized Scorecard: Sindh beat Northern by 10 runs Toss: Northern won the toss and decided to bowl first Sindh Batting: (190 for 7 in 20 overs) Saim Ayub 92 runs (52 balls, 4X6, 6X7), Saad Khan 26 not out (17 balls, 4X2, 6X1), Saud Shakil 20 runs (18 balls, 4X0, 6X1) Northern Bowling: Sohail Tenvir (3 for 28), Usman Shenvari (1 for 36), Mehran Mumtaz (1 for 32), Salman Irshad (1 for 32), Aamir Jamal (1 for 32) Northern Batting: (180 for 7 in 20 overs) Nasir Nawaz 39 runs (21 balls, 4X6, 6X1), Mubasir Khan 33 runs (25 balls, 4X4, 6X1), Zeeshan Malik 29 runs (31 balls, 4X2) Sindh Bowling: Mir Hamza (3 for 33), Sohail Khan (2 for 38), Saim Ayub (1 for 26) Player of Match: Saim Ayub (Sindh). Day-2 (Game-II): KP beat Central Punjab by 18 runs Summarized Scorecard: Toss: KP won the toss and elected to bat KP Batting (165 for 6 in 20 overs): Kamran Ghulam 39 runs (32 balls, 4X6, 6X1), Mohammad Sarwar 30 runs (31 balls, 4X4), Adim Amin 24 runs (17 balls, 4X2, 6x1) Central Punjab Bowling: Ali Asfand (2 for 22), Usman Mir (1 for 27), A denial (1 for 40) Central Punjab Batting: Tayyab Tahir 72 (45 balls, 4X5, 6X3), Ahmed Shahzad 26 runs (20 balls, 4X5), Juniad runs 18 (14 balls, 4X3) KP Bowling: Imran Khan Senior (4 for 24), Asif Afridai (2 for 24), Irshad Iqbal (1 for 20)

Abdul Jabbar Faisal RAWALPINDI:-Sindh and Balochistan have registered victories on the opening day of the National T20 Cricket Cup 2022 after thrashing Southern Punjab and Central Punjab respectively by 42 and 2 runs at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi on Tuesday. In the first match of the day, Sindh’s Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowlers inspired their side to a commanding win over Southern Punjab. A fighting 42 off 32 by player of the match Sarfaraz Ahmed and a dominant show with the ball saw Sindh defeat Balochistan comprehensively in the tournament opener. Southern Punjab opted to chase after winning the toss and kept Sindh’s scoring rate in check with wickets at regular intervals as Sindh exhausted all their batters and managed 147 with two balls spare. Openers Sharjeel Khan (24 off 19) and Saim Ayub (30 off 20) added 38 runs together before the former was undone by leg-spinner Ali Majid. Wicketkeeper-batter Sarfaraz walked in the middle with three wickets down for 73 in the 10th over and made his experience count. He cracked six fours and scored at a strike rate of 131. Over the course of his innings, Sarfaraz batted with the tail and was his side’s last wicket to fall when he was caught off Sameen Gul, who returned the innings’ best figures of three for 24. Pacer Mohammad Ilyas was the other bowler to account for three batters. He sent Omair Bin Yousuf, Sohail Khan and Danish Aziz back to the pavilion and gave away 29 in his four. Left-arm wrist spinner Faisal Akram returned two for 26. Southern Punjab were never really in the run chase and were bowled out for a paltry 105 in 16.4 overs. They lost their top three inside the powerplay and were three down for 29 in just 5.3 overs with Sohail Khan, Anwar Ali and Danish Aziz accounting for Zain Abbas, Zeeshan Ashraf and Sohaib Maqsood. Their problems were amplified in the ninth over with leg-spinner Zahid Mehmood accounting for Salman Ali Agha and Moinuddin in the space of four balls. Danish Aziz took his second wicket in the 12th over by sending Mohammad Imran back. The only notable batting performance in the run chase came from Sharoon Siraj, who struck 36 off 27. In the second match of the day, all-rounder Irfan Khan Niazi, a product of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s age-group programme, led Central Punjab’s fightback and had his side in touching distance of the win with four needed off the last ball after the last over began with 19 remaining. He had arrived at the crease with 127 required off 64 with established players in Ahmed Shehzad (17 off 19) and Abdullah Shafique (15 off 18), and former U19 captain Qasim Akram (13 off nine) back in the pavilion, and added 61 with Tayyab Tahir (51 off 33) and 41 with Faheem Ashraf (18 off eight). It was the stand between Tayyab – who struck seven fours and a six – and Irfan that proved to be pivotal as they scored 61 at 9.38 runs per over, before Faheem and Irfan added 41 at a blistering 15 runs per over. Irfan, who shared the player of the match award with Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, smashed three sixes and as many as fours. Balochistan’s Wahid and Shan Masood hammered 54 each to help Balochistan post a towering 186 for four after their captain Yasir Shah elected to bat. The two had come together in the fourth over with 36 on board following the dismissals of Haseebullah and Asad Shafiq on back-to-back deliveries. Asad and Haseebullah promised a good start as the two kept the run rate hovering around 10 an over. Asad, especially, looked in solid touch as he hit 23 runs (five fours) at a strike rate of over 191. Wahid and Shan added 111 runs together at the average of eight runs per over, blasting 13 boundaries between them. Wahid, who scored at over 138, sent four deliveries flying above the boundary rope and dispatched three off the 39 he faced for fours, while Shan, who scored at exactly 150, struck six fours in his 36-ball knock. Ahmed Daniyal took all four of Balochistan’s wickets. Scores in brief: Match 1 - Sindh beat Southern Punjab by 42 runs Sindh 147 all out, 19.4 overs (Sarfaraz Ahmed 42, Saim Ayb 30, Sharjeel Khan 24; Sameen Gul 3-24, Mohammad Ilyas 3-29, Faisal Akram 2-26) Southern Punjab 105 all out, 16.4 overs (Sharoon Siraj 36; Sohail Khan 3-15, Danish Aziz 2-22, Zahid Mehmood 2-26) Player of the match – Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh) Match 2 – Balochistan beat Central Punjab by 2 runs Balochistan 186-4, 20 overs (Shan Masood 54, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 54, Asad Shafiq 23, Amad Butt 21; Ahmed Daniyal 4-28) Central Punjab 184-5, 20 overs (Irfan Khan Niazi 57 not out, Tayyab Tahir 51; Amad Butt 3-29) Player of the match – Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (Balochistan) and Irfan Khan Niazi (Central Punjab) Wednesday’s fixtures: 0930 - Northern v Sindh 1400 - Central Punjab v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD:-Sindh will take on Southern Punjab in the opening fixture of the Kingdom Valley National T20 Cricket Cup 2022-23, which will commence from August 30 (Tuesday) at Pindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi. The match will start at the local time 9:30 am. The Kingdom Valley National T20 Cup 2022-23 will be played in two legs. Rawalpindi’s Pindi Cricket Stadium will host the first 16 matches till 7 September and then the action will move to Multan Cricket Stadium, where the remaining matches will be played from 10-19 September. Led by Khalid Usman, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the defending champions, will enter the tournament with the mission of securing a hat-trick of titles after winning the 2020-21 and 2021-22 editions. They have won 15 of their last 24 matches. Khalid Usman said: “There is a little pressure when you are defending the title, but, thankfully, we have a good unit that has all the potential to do the job. The atmosphere in the team is great. My message to my boys is to play fearless, positive cricket and give their 110 per cent. The new structure and introduction of CCA and divisional cricket in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has helped a great deal in nurturing the young cricketers in our region.” Balochistan enter the tournament with confidence as they ended the previous season on a high by winning the Pakistan Cup. Since playing the final of the 2019-20 edition of the tournament, Balochistan have failed to make it to the semi-finals and that’s what they would look to change when they face-off Central Punjab on the opening day of the tournament under the captaincy of Yasir Shah. Yasir Shah said: “We are looking forward to carry the momentum from the Pakistan Cup. Our youngsters – Haseebullah and Abdul Wahid Bangalzai – were terrific in that tournament, and I am sure they will continue their form. We have a good T20 side and our players have been doing well in different leagues recently.” Central Punjab faced a defeat to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Lahore last season, thanks to Iftikhar Ahmed’s whirlwind 19-ball 45 not out, in the final. It was the first instance of the side making it to the final after they failed to qualify for the semi-finals in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 editions. All-rounder Faheem Ashraf leads them this season. Faheem Ashraf said: “To captain Central Punjab is surely an honour because it is the biggest region in the country. It is a dream to lead or represent Punjab or Central Punjab. To thrive in T20 competitions, it is important to come together as a unit and develop good combinations from the onset, so we are looking to do that.” Northern were champions of the first National T20 played following the revamp of the domestic structure. They lifted the trophy at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, by thumping Balochistan in the final. They have been one of the most consistent teams in the tournament, making it to the semi-finals in the last two editions. Under the captaincy of Umar Amin, their aim must be to start good at their home, Rawalpindi, and go the distance when the tournament moves to Multan. Umar Amin said: “It is always fun to play at my hometown and leading Northern in this tournament has doubled my excitement. Our team has a good combination of youth and experience. The youngsters are quite energetic. We made some mistakes at crunch moments in the last two editions because of which we could not play the final. This time, I hope, we will not repeat them.” Southern Punjab had a last-minute change of guard after Hasan Ali was called up to the national side for the ongoing ACC T20 Asia Cup. All-rounder Salman Ali Agha, who made his Test and ODI debuts recently, has been handed the reins in the absence of the star pacer. Southern Punjab had a memorable 2020-21 campaign in which they fell 10 runs short of winning the title, but showed great grit and determination in making it to the final. Sohaib Maqsood’s stunning 81 off 29 scripted an epic run chase when they scaled the 162-run target in 10.4 overs against Balochistan to secure a spot in the semi-final, where they beat Northern by seven wickets. They couldn’t make it to the last four in the previous edition and will be hoping to stage a resounding comeback. Southern Punjab vice-captain Zain Abbas said: “This is a very important tournament for every domestic cricketer. We have prepared well for it and are coming into this tournament with a passion to do well as we have not won a major tournament for Southern Punjab yet. We want to win this tournament.” Sindh, led by Saud Shakeel, play the first match of the Kingdom Valley National T20 Cup 2022-23 when they take on Southern Punjab tomorrow. Following a lacklustre 2019-20 edition, Sindh have made it to the top four and played semi-finals in the last two tournaments. Saud Shakeel said said: “It is an honour for me to be captaining Sindh. Our strength is our good combination: we have good spinners, we have hard-hitting openers, Sharjeel being one of them, and we have sloggers in the middle-order. Hopefully, we will do well in this tournament.”

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will defend their National T20 title under the leadership of Khalid Usman as the all-rounder has been announced the captain of the winners of the 2020 and 2021 editions. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have had an impressive run in the last two editions of the tournament, winning 15 off 24 matches, and will be eager to continue their form when they open their campaign on 31 August, the second day of the tournament, against Central Punjab. Another tournament win will further stamp Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a T20 powerhouse, embellish their trophy cabinet with the prestigious silverware and another PKR5million in their bank account. All-rounder Faheem Ashraf takes the reins of Central Punjab, the runners up of the previous edition, who will lock horns with Yasir Shah-captained Balochistan in the second match of the tournament on the National T20 opening day (30 August). The tournament will begin with what promises to be a thriller with Saud Shakeel’s Sindh taking on Hasan Ali’s Southern Punjab. Northern, the home side, will begin their campaign on 1 September and will be captained by top-order batter Umar Amin. The squads, both for the National T20 and Cricket Associations T20 (details below) have been finalised by national men’s chief selector, Muhammad Wasim, in consultation with the six Cricket Associations. The selectors have ensured that the players on the fringes of the national side get the opportunities to continue to push their case for the national selection and this summer’s top performers in the City Cricket Association and Divisional tournaments climb another rung. The National T20 will be played in two legs with Pindi Cricket Stadium playing host to first 16 of the 33 matches from 30 August till 7 September. Multan Cricket Stadium will stage the second leg between 10 till 19 September. First XI squads: Balochistan: Yasir Shah (c), Shan Masood (vc), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Akif Javed, Ali Waqas, Amad Butt, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Haseebullah (wk), Hussain Talat, Junaid Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Junaid and Sajjad Ali Central Punjab: Faheem Ashraf (c), Abdullah Shafique (vc), Ahmed Shehzad, Ahmed Daniyal, Ali Asfand, Hunain Shah, Irfan Khan Niazi, Junaid Ali (wk), Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Faizan, Qasim Akram, Shoaib Malik, Tayyab Tahir, Usama Mir and Wahab Riaz Northern: Umar Amin (c), Ali Imran (vc),  Aamer Jamal, Hassan Nawaz, Mehran Mumtaz, Mubasir Khan, Mohammad Huraira, Nasir Nawaz, Rohail Nazir (wk), Salman Irshad, Shoaib Amir, Sohail Tanvir, Umer Khan, Usman Khan Shinwari and Zaman Khan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Khalid Usman (c), Kamran Ghulam (vc), Adil Amin, Aamer Azmat, Arshad Iqbal, Asif Afridi, Ihsanullah, Imran Khan Snr, Israrullah, Maaz khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, Mohammad Amir Khan and Sahibzada Farhan Sindh: Saud Shakeel (c), Mir Hamza (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Anwar Ali, Asif Mahmood, Danish Aziz, Omair Bin Yousuf, Rumman Raees, Saad Khan, Saim Ayub, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Sharjeel Khan, Syed Faraz Ali, Zahid Mehmood and Zeeshan Zameer Southern Punjab: Hasan Ali (c), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Ahmad Bashir, Ali Majid, Amir Yamin, Faisal Akram, Hassan Khan, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Moinuddin, Mohammad Ilyas, Sameen Gul, Sharoon Siraj, Sohaib Maqsood, Zain Abbas and Zeeshan Ashraf (wk) Cricket Associations T20 The Cricket Associations T20 tournament, in which the second XI sides of the six Cricket Associations feature, will begin from 2 September and will also be played on the double round robin basis. Cricket Associations T20 will be staged at the Bugti Stadium, Quetta and the team that finishes on the top of the points table at the completion of the league on 15 September will win the competition. The teams will travel to Quetta on 26 August, where they will undergo pre-tournament preparations. Second XI squads: Balochistan: Bismillah Khan (c & wk), Imran Butt (vc), Abdul Hanan, Ayyaz Tasawar, Basit Ali, Daud Khan, Gohar Faiz, Jalat Khan, Mohamamd Shahid, Mohammad Ibrahim Snr, Muhammad Azeem Ghumman, Rasool Bakhsh, Taj Wali, Tariq Jamil and Zainullah Snr Central Punjab: Rizwan Hussain (c), Muhammad Akhlaq (vc & wk), Abdul Samad, Abid Ali, Ali Shafiq, Asad Raza, Gauhar Hafeez, Haseeb-ur-Rehman, Imran Dogar, Mohammad Irfan Jnr, Mohammad Rameez Jnr, Mohammad Waheed, Mirza Salman, Mukhtar Ahmed and Umar Akmal Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Rehan Afridi (c & wk), Maaz Ahmed Sadaqat (vc), Ahmed Khan, Arshadullah, Haseeb Khan, Irfanullah Shah, Mohammad Farooq, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Nisar Afridi, Mohammad Usman, Nabi Gul, Niaz Khan, Tahir Khan, Usman Tariq and Zubair Khan Northern: Umair Masood (c & wk), Musa Khan (vc), Abidullah, Aqib Liaqat, Ather Mehmood, Atif Khan, Farhan Shafiq, Hassan Raza, Kashif Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Shadab Majeed, Sufiyan Muqeem, Taimor Khan, Taimor Sultan and Zeeshan Malik Sindh: Mohammad Taha (c), Hasan Mohsin (vc), Aliyan Mehmood, Ammad Alam, Arish Ali Khan, Ghulam Mudassar, Jahanzaib Sultan, Kashif Ali, Majid Asghar, Mohammad Afzal (wk), Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Umar, Rizwan Mehmood, Shahid Mirani and Sohail Khan Southern Punjab: Rahat Ali (c), Ali Usman (vc), Ahmed Hassan, Ali Imran, Humayun Altaf, Kaleemullah, Majid Ali, Mohammad Jahangir, Mohammad Junaid Awan, Mohammad Shehzad, Mohammad Sudais, Tahir Hussain, Umar Siddiq (wk), Waqar Hussain and Yousaf Babar

Adil Raza Shahzad RWALPINDI:-To provide affordable access to action for the cricket fans in Rawalpindi, the Pakistan Cricket Board has set the ticket prices for the National T20 matches at the Pindi Cricket Stadium at nominal rates. The tickets for general category tickets which include Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Miran Bakhsh and Yasir Arafat enclosures are priced at PKR50. The tickets for Imran Khan, Javed Akhtar, Azhar Mehmood and Javed Miandad enclosures, which fall under VIP category, are for PKR100. That the fans can easily buy tickets, the PCB, through its ticketing partner BookMe has made tickets available both online and through physical booths. The physical tickets will be available from 27 August from the booths placed outside Nawaz Sharif Park on Murree Road. The booth sales will take place between 0900 till 1800. The first leg of the National T20 will be played in Rawalpindi from 30 August till 7 September with the first match of the day starting at 0930 and the second at 1400.

Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD-As many as 190 sixes and 484 fours were smashed over 10 days of cricket during the National T20 Cup at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium. Batsmen from Northern, the title winners, hit 30 per cent of the sixes, thanks to Asif Ali. The hard-hitting middle-order batsman hit 19 off his side’s 56 sixes, with 10 of them coming in an innings. Runner-up Balochistan struck 109 fours, which were the most by any side in the tournament. The batsmen’s domination continued over the course of 18 matches. 5,448 runs were scored as 26 half-centuries and two centuries – both from Central Punjab batsmen Babar Azam and Ahmed Shehzad – were cracked.  Boasting a star-studded bowling lineup which included Mohammad Amir, Shadab Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Imad Wasim, Musa Khan and Haris Rauf, Northern were expected to be the strongest bowling unit of the tournament. They lived up to their reputation taking the most number of wickets for a team with 59 scalps. Overall, 221 wickets were taken in the tournament.  Reviewing his team’s performance, Northern captain Imad Wasim said: “Our batting and bowling was way ahead of the other teams and to win such tournaments all members of the side need to rise to the occasion which the players of my team did.  “Though this was a domestic tournament, we played for our pride.” As T20 format is never expected to be bowler friendly, only one five-wicket haul was recorded in the tournament, which went to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Usman Shinwari.  The left-arm fast-bowler took five wickets for 13 runs against Northern in the first semi-final of the tournament, which his side lost by three runs.  His captain Mohammad Rizwan bagged the player of the tournament award for scoring 215 runs, with two fifties, and dismissing six batsmen behind the stumps in six matches.  The best batsman and best bowler of the tournament were Awais Zia and Sohail Tanvir for scoring 276 runs and taking 14 wickets in seven matches each.  Pakistan U19 captain and Northern wicketkeeper-batsman Rohail Nazir bagged the best wicketkeeper award with seven dismissals in seven matches.

SB Report  KARACHI:-Northern ended the remarkable unbeaten run of Southern Punjab in the National T20 2nd XI tournament with a comfortable 40-run win in the tournament final played at the National Stadium, Karachi on Thursday. Southern Punjab who had remained undefeated in the tournament by winning each of their five round matches besides overcoming Central Punjab in the semi-final capitulated under pressure in the final against an inspired Northern side that produced a memorable all-round performance to lift the trophy. Batting first after being sent in, Northern posted a mammoth 196 for seven in their 20 overs. Shoaib Ahmed Minhas held the innings together with a 45-ball 68 which included four fours and three sixes. Man-of-the-Match Jamal Anwar hit a quickfire 40 off 21 balls to ensure Northern’s huge total. Opener Zeeshan Malik made 34 off 19 balls; at the end of the innings, semi-final hero Shahzad Azam scored an unbeaten 22 off nine balls (two fours and two sixes). Zulfiqar Babar took three wickets for 28 runs in his four overs.  Southern Punjab lost their way in the chase after an 85-run opening stand between Zeeshan Ashraf (61 off 26 balls, three sixes and eight fours) and Mukhtar Ahmed (22 off 25 balls, two fours). Leg-spinner Osama Mir took three while Nauman Ali and Salman Irshad two wickets each to derail the Southern Punjab batting line-up. Southern Punjab crashed from 85 without loss to 156 all out in 17.5 overs as Northern celebrated an unlikely win. Scores in brief: Final Southern Punjab v Northern, National Stadium, Karachi Northern 196 for 7, 20 overs (Shoaib Ahmed Minhas 68, Jamal Anwar 40, Zeeshan Malik 34; Zulfiqar Babar 3-28) Southern Punjab 156 all out in 17.5 (Zeeshan Ashraf 61, Maqbool Ahmed 26; Osama Mir 3-28, Salman Irshad 2-13) Man-of-the-Match Jamal Anwar Player-of-the-Tournament Nauman Ali (160 runs and 10 wickets) Best-Batsman-of-the-Tournament Zeeshan Ashraf (395 runs) Best-Bowler-of-the-Tournament Raza Ali Dar and Mohammad Imran (13 wickets each) Best-Wicketkeeper-of-the-Tournament Mohammad Ikhlaq and Maqbool Ahmed (7 victims each)  

SB Report FAISALABAD:-Northern beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by three runs in a last over thriller at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium to secure a spot in the final of the National T20 Cup. Northern fast-bowler Haris Rauf defended eight runs in the last over, taking three wickets in process, of the first semi-final. Haris started the over by taking the wicket of Iftikhar Ahmed, the top-scorer of the run-chase with 53 from 45 balls. Musadiq Ahmed (0 off 1), Zohaib Khan (5 off 5) and Mohammad Mohsin, who was run-out, were the other three wickets to fall in the over. Northern had set a target of 149 after being asked to bat by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain Mohammad Rizwan. Opener Umar Amin scored a 33-ball 43, hitting four fours and a six, and stitched a 50-run stand for the third-wicket with wicketkeeper-batsman Rohail Nazir, who scored run-a-ball 21. Asif Ali was the other notable run-getter as he scored 28 runs from 16 balls with two sixes and a four.  With five wickets for just 13 runs in four overs, Usman Shinwari was the star performer with the ball, while Imran Khan Jnr took two wickets for 31 runs. In their chase, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost opener Sahibzada Farhan (o off 4) in the first over. After scoring run-a-ball 15, Rizwan followed him back to the pavilion in the fifth over. A 65-run stand for the third-wicket between Fakhar Zaman (39 off 31) and Iftikhar, who hit six fours, stabled the run chase. Khushdil Shah’s 17-ball 22, which had three fours, consolidated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s position in the match. But, the match turned on its head in the last over. For taking three wickets for 26 runs in three overs and defending eight runs in six balls, Haris bagged man-of-the-match award.With two wickets for 24 runs in four overs, Sohail Tanvir was the other notable bowler in the match. Scores in brief:  Northern 148-9, 20 overs (Umar Amin 43, Asif Ali 28, Rohail Nazir 21; Usman Shinwari 5-13, Imran Khan Jnr 2-31) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 145-8, 20 overs (Iftikhar Ahmed 53, Fakhar Zaman 39, Khushdil Shah 22; Haris Rauf 3-26, Sohail Tanvir 2-24)

SB Report  KARACHI:-Central Punjab and Northern joined table-toppers Southern Punjab and Sindh in the semi-finals of the National T20 2nd XI tournament with wins over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan respectively at the National Stadium, Karachi on Tuesday. In the first match of the day, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa scored 148 for nine after opting to bat first. Asad Afridi top-scored with 43 off 25 balls, his innings included three fours and three sixes. Mehran Ibrahim made 31 off 26 balls, the two rescued the side after Ehsan Adil and Bilawal Iqbal had reduced them to 34 for four. Ehsan finished with three wickets for 16 runs in his four overs which included a maiden over while Bilawal took two wickets for 33 runs. In reply, Central Punjab batsmen chose an attacking approach which helped them chase down the target with 20 balls to spare, the big win gave them a much needed surge in the net-run-rate and confirmed their semi-final spot. Muhammad Saad scored an unbeaten 35-ball 59 with the help of three fours and four sixes. Nauman Anwar scored 50 off 37 balls with the help of four fours and three sixes. Sameen Gul with two wickets for 23 runs in two overs was the most successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bowler. Balochistan after opting to bat first posted 147 for seven against Northern. Balochistan were reduced to 96 for seven when Nazar Hussain (39 not out, seven fours) and Dawood Khan 13 not out joined hands to take the score to 147 for seven through their unbroken 51-run stand for the eight wicket. Left-arm-spinners Raza Hasan and Noman Ali took two wickets each for Northern. In the first semi-final on Wednesday, table-toppers Southern Punjab will take on Central Punjab (fourth in the table) while second placed Sindh will play (third placed) Northern in the second semi-final. Scores in brief: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Central Punjab, National Stadium, Karachi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 148 for 9, 20 overs (Asad Afridi 43, Mehran Ibrahim 31; Ehsan Adil 3-16, Bilawal Iqbal 2-33) Central Punjab 149 for 4, 16.4 overs (Muhammad Saad 59, Nauman Anwar 50; Sameen Gul 2-23) Result: Central Punjab won by six wickets Northern v Balochistan, National Stadium, Karachi Balochistan 147 for 7, 20 overs (Nazar Hussain 39 not out, Jalat Khan 18; Raza Hasan 2-22, Noman Ali 2-31) Northern 151 for 5, 17 overs (Shoaib Ahmed Minhas 37, Zeeshan Malik 37 ; Nazar Hussain 2-32)