Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: Islamabad United’s Fazalhaq Farooqi has been fined 10 per cent of his match-fee for breaching the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Players Support Personnel during his side’s match against Lahore Qalandars in the 26th fixture of the HBL PSL 8 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday evening. Farooqi was found to have violated Article 2.5 of the PCB Code of Conduct, which reads as: “Using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during a match”. The incident happened in the 19th over of Lahore Qalandars’ batting, when Farooqi used abusive language after dismissing the batter. Farooqi pleaded guilty to the charge and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Roshan Mahanama. The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Faisal Khan Afridi. Meanwhile, Islamabad United’s captain Shadab Khan and Multan Sultans’ Shan Masood and Tim David were fined 10 per cent of their match fees for breaching a Level 1 offence of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct in separate incidents during their side’s match in the HBL PSL 8 on Tuesday. All three players were found to have violated Article 2.8 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “Showing dissent at an Umpire’s decision during a Match”. In Shadab’s case, the incident happened in the fourth ball of 20th over of Multan Sultans’ batting, when a wide ball was given by the on-field umpire and upon that Shadab came running from the boundary line and expressed his disappointment at the decision. As regards to Shan, on the penultimate ball of 14th over of Multan Sultans batting, Shan expressed his disappointment after the umpire didn’t signal it one for the over for a short pitched ball. Similarly, Tim David on the second ball of the 18th over of Multan Sultans’ batting, expressed his displeasure over the leg-umpire’s decision not to call a short pitched ball a wide delivery. Shadab and Shan pleaded guilty to the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed to be imposed by Roshan Mahanama and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing. Meanwhile, David challenged the decision and after the formal hearing, the match referee upheld his decision. The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Faisal Afridi and Rashid Riaz.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: Master Paints/Newage Cables team and Master Paints team recorded victories in different styles in the Century Ventures National Open Polo Championship for Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup 2023 matches here at Lahore Polo Club on Thursday. In the first match of the day, phenomenal performance of Juan Cruz Greguol powered Master Paints/Newage Cables to a thrilling 8-7 win over Diamond Paints in the sudden death chukker.  Greguol was in sublime form and played outstanding polo for his team. He contributed with four fabulous goals for Master Paints/Newage while his teammates Simon Prada (3 goals) and Raja Temur Nadeem (1 goal) played equally well. For Diamond Paints, Mir Huzaifa Ahmed and Chulo Corti played brilliantly and thrashed in three goals each while the remaining one came from Nico Roberts. The first chukker of the match was played well by both the sides, who succeeded in converting one goal each to finish it 1-1. Master Paints/Newage played better polo in the second chukker as they slammed in two goals against one by Remounts to get a slight 3-2 lead. The third chukker was identical to the second one as once against two goals were converted by Master Paints/Newage against one by Remounts to stretch their lead to 5-3.  Master Paints/Newage maintained their good show in the fourth chukker as well as they banged in another brace against one goal by Remounts to enhance their lead to 7-4. Diamond Paints started the fifth chukker aggressively which paid dividend for them and they succeeded in thrashing in three back-to-back goals to equalize the score at 7-7. No more goal was scored by either side, thus the match entered the sudden death chukker. Both the sides tried hard to hammer the match winner and after a tough fight, Greguol converted the decisive goal to steer his side to a thrilling 8-7 win. Manuel Crespo shines in Master Paints’ thumping 8-4 win over Remounts Manuel Crespo’s heroics helped Master Paints thump Remounts 8-4 in the second match of the day. Crespo played extremely well for Master Paints as he not only exhibited great mallet and pony prowess against Remounts but also succeeded in smashing in seven superb goals while Pelayo Berazadi scored one goal. On the other hand, Manuel Sundblad fired in four goals for Remounts.  Master Paints dominated the match right from the word go as they pumped in one goal in the first chukker and hammered a hat-trick of goals in the second chukker to take a 4-0 lead. They added one more in their tally in the third chukker to make it 5-0 while Remounts struck their first goal to reduce the margin to 1-5.  Remounts made a good comeback in the highly-charged fourth chukker as they thrashed in three goals while Master Paints managed to score two goals that helped them still enjoy the 7-4 lead. The fifth and last chukker saw Master Paints scoring the only goal of the match to win the encounter by 8-4.  Lahore Polo Club President Umar Sadiq, executive committee members and a large number of players and polo enthusiasts were present on this occasion to witness and enjoy the enthralling exciting matches at Lahore Polo Club.

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: Lahore Qalanders claimed a stunning victory Islamabad United by 119 runs in the HBL-PSL 8 match, as the Fakhar Zaman punished Islamabad United for letting him off twice by belting a swashbuckling century at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday night. Fakhar made the best of the dropped catches at two (by Asif Ali off Hasan Ali) and 72 (by Hasan Ali off Shadab Khan) to score 115, his second HBL PSL century, as Lahore Qalandars posted 226 for five after electing to bat first. Islamabad United, which has already qualified for the play-offs, had no chance against a world-class Lahore Qalandars bowling attack after they managed 50 for two in the PowerPlay overs before Rashid Khan ran through the middle-order on way to figures of four for 21 as the home side was spun out for 107 in 15.1 overs with Azam Khan absent hurt after injuring his left hand while keeping wickets. The 119-run defeat was the heaviest in the history of HBL PSL, while it was Lahore Qalandars’ second successive victory over Islamabad United by a margin of over 100 runs. The champions had recorded a 110-run victory at the Gaddafi Stadium. Lahore Qalandars’ opponent on 15 March at the Gaddafi Stadium will be decided on Sunday in Rawalpindi when Islamabad United will take on Peshawar Zalmi at 2pm. Meanwhile, Friday’s winner between Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans will become the third side to qualify for the play-off, with the winner of Quetta Gladiators and Multan Sultans match in Rawalpindi on Saturday will complete the play-offs line-up. Returning to their tested and successful winning formula of batting first, Lahore Qalandars lost an in-form Abdullah Shafique on the third ball before Fakhar Zaman and Kamran Ghulam stitched a 122-run second wicket partnership off 62 balls to put the defending champions back on track. The partnership ended when Kamran perished after scoring a 30-ball 41 with four fours and two sixes. At that stage, Fakhar found another depending ally in Sam Billings as the two batters added 70 off 43 for the third wicket. Lahore Qalandars did well to collect 72 runs in the final five overs after they were 122 for one at the halfway stage. The star of Lahore Qalandars’ imposing 226 for five was Fakhar Zaman, who destroyed Islamabad United bowlers with his trademark and signature shots to walk away with the player of the match award. Fakhar, who was dropped on the fourth ball he faced by Asif Ali in the first slip, drove elegantly, pulled convincingly and slog-swept emphatically to send Islamabad United bowlers on a never-ending leather hunt. Fakhar’s 57-ball 115 included eight fours and eight sixes. His first 50 runs came off 24 balls with six fours and two sixes, while his second 50 runs came off 26 balls with two fours and four sixes. It required an excellent catch by Mohammad Wasim at deep backward square leg off Hasan Ali to terminate Fakhar’s onslaught that thoroughly entertained an excited and jubilant crowd. Fazalhaq Farooqi, who dismissed Abdullah Shafique in the first over, added the scalps of Billings and David Wiese to finish with figures of three for 40. In their chase, Islamabad United started aggressively but it was a very brief period where they looked like in some sort of control. The dismissal of Rahmanullah Gurbaz (15) and Colin Munro (11) off Zaman Khan inside the PowerPlay with Azam Khan unavailable to bat meant it was just the delay of the inevitable. Wrist spinner Rashid Khan sealed Islamabad United’s fate when he accounted for Shadab Khan (12), Mubasir Khan (3), Asif Ali (7) and Faheem Ashraf 4) before Haris Rauf returned to account for Hasan Ali (18) and Mohammad Wasim (8) to wrap up a comfortable win for the title-favourites. Summarized Scorecard: Venue: Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Lahore Qalanders beat Islamabad United by 119 runs Lahore Qalanders (Batting) 226 runs for 5 in 20 overs Fakhar Zaman 115 (57 balls, 8x4, 8x6), Karmran Ghulam 41 (30 balls, 4x4, 2x6), Sam Billings 32 (22 balla, 2x4, 2x6) Islamabad United (Bowling): Fazal Haq Farooqi (3 for 40), Hasan Ali (1 for 33), Mohammad Wasim (1 for 48) Islamabad United (Batting) 107 all out in 15.1 overs Hasan Ali 18 runs (13 balls, 1x4, 2x6), Alex Halls 18 runs (16 balls, 0x4, 1x6), Remanullah 15 runs (15 balls, 1x4, 1x6) Lahore Qalanders (Bowling): Rashid Khan (4 for 21), Haris Rauf (2 for 16), Zaman Khan (2 for 17), David Wisa (1 for 17) Player of the Match: Fakhar Zaman (Lahore Qalanders)

BIPIN DANI India's Prime Minister Narednra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese reached the Narendra Modi stadium and took a round of the massive sports arena on a golf cart before the start of the fourth Test match on Thursday. Both Prime Ministers waved to cheering spectators as they were driven around the outfield before play began.  The golf-cart specially used for this match was made in 1 1/2 days by Sai Shilp Studio. Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Ahmedabad, Irfan Saiyad, one of the three owners of the company said, "we got the design of the cart from Move-in-Pixel company just two days prior to the match and put our best efforts and several labourers to make it". "A new MS (Mild Steel) structure was erected on this cart and other wooden planks are used. It was painted and a carpet was laid". The other two partners-Atul Solanki and Jyotirmay-and Irfan Saiyad have studied Fine Arts and have degrees in Shilpkala. "We have been in this profession for 25 years. "We have made many sculptures and a similar cart was used in the National Games held in this country a few years ago. We have been getting orders to decorate the jeeps and lorries for the national parades. Our people travel to Delhi, stay there for a month and make such decorative parade cars". "It was our great pleasure when the cart prepared by us had two notable distinguished Prime Ministers", Irfan Saiyad added. Both Prime Ministers were introduced by captains of both sides. They were present during the National Anthems also.

By Qamar Ahmed None, amongst all the wicket-keepers we have had in Pakistan enjoyed a vast fan following as did the ever agile and handsome Wasim Bari. Ever alert behind the stumps, he was a perfect model of a keeper. Focused, fast moving, quick footed and dextrous, he was a treat to watch whether keeping of fast men or against the best of spinners. Sharp in gloving the ball, catching it or when stumping a batsman, or diving to pick up an edge, Bari was a sheer artist as a keeper and hence his fan following. Which, indeed reminds me of Pakistan's 1979 tour to India under Asif Iqbal and the then Bombay Test. Pakistan was touring India after 18 years and no matter where we played the crowd greeted us warmly, same was the situation during the Bombay Test. People had come to Indian cities from every direction, from across the border and from Pakistan as well. Amongst them were our own movie super stars, Mohammad Ali and Zeba. It was during the Bombay Test when the couple, my close friends asked me to accompany them to actor Raj Kapoor's house for dinner. Greeted warmly by Raj's entire family, we were not only in company of his sons Randhir and Rishi but were also joined by super stars of Bollywood, Dilip Kumar and Amithab Bachan. There was Neetu Singh too who was to be married to Rishi Kapoor after a few weeks. That evening remains etched in my mind for the fact when I discovered that how popular Wasim Bari was within the Kapoor family. Rishi Kapoor during the conversation disclosed that he was an avid fan of one of Pakistani players and if it was possible for me to call Bari in his hotel so that Rishi could talk to him. 'Are you fan of Imran Khan, Zaheer Abbas or Javed Miandad, I asked him. No, he said,' I am fan of Wasim Bari. Which came to me as a huge surprise. I then asked him what makes him a fan of Wasim Bari? Qamar Sir, he said, he is a great wicket keeper, he is handsome, his hair looks great and he has looks of a movie actor.' He told me. Minutes later he took me to his room and requested to ring Pakistan team's hotel so that he could talk to his idol. When on line, I handed over the phone to Rishi, telling Bari that Rishi, your fan would like to talk to you. I could see the excitement oozing out of Rishi' face while talking to his hero. When finished talking to him he turned around not only to thank me but also asked me to attend his marriage to Neetu Singh. I sadly had to decline the invitation because it clashed with a Test I was covering. Twenty years later as I was walking along in the Oxford Street London that I noticed Rishi and his wife waiting for a taxi. I dashed towards him, tapped him on the shoulder. As he turned, he asked me who I was. Remember, I am the one who introduced you to Wasim Bari. He then embraced me, telling me, Qamar Sir, how nice to see. This was one very memorable moment Bari was as popular amongst cricketers of countries against whom he played. Alan Knott of England considered to be best in business always rated Bari better than him. Since making his Test debut at Lord's in 1967 to his final Test in 1984 at Sydney which also happened to be the last Tests of Dennis Lillee, Greg Chappell and Rodney Marsh, Bari was one of the best keeper on the circuit. Be it Knott, Marsh, Murray, he was second to none. I saw his debut and covered his almost entire career including his last Test at Sydney, he remained for me a joy to watch an artist of his trade, soft in nature and respectful as ever. In the 1971 and 1974 series in England he was a feature to follow besides the genius of Zaheer Abbas, he was the focus for his safe and acrobatic display behind the stumps. On the Headingley Test of 1971, he took eight catches in the match, the best at the time. In 1979, he caught seven batsmen of first eight dismissed of New Zealand. One of the greats of history with 228 victims behind the wicket he remains a role model for aspiring keepers. Pakistan's first wicket-keeper in Tests was Hanif Mohammad followed by Imtiaz Ahmad, Naushad Ali, Saleem Yousuf, Rashid Latif, Moin Khan, Taslim Arif, now Sarfraz Ahmad, Mohammad Rizwan but none as adept in the art of keeping as Wasim Bari.

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: It was one of those matches that leaves viewers exhausted because of its high intensity. Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators added another classic to their epic rivalry on Wednesday as the latter chased down a towering 241-run target with eight wickets in hand and 10 balls to spare at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. In a match that saw 483 runs being scored – the highest run aggregate for an HBL Pakistan Super League match – records tumbled regularly. Some were broken in the run chase after only being made in the first innings. For example, Babar Azam’s record for most fours in an HBL PSL innings (15) lasted less than two hours as Jason Roy clubbed 20 fours in the run chase. After Babar’s sublime century – his first in the HBL PSL – propelled them to their highest score of 240 for two, Peshawar Zalmi would have been confident entering the ground in the second innings as never before has a target of such magnitude been chased down and Quetta Gladiators had only won two matches before today in this edition. But, Roy’s sensational unbeaten century kept their hopes alive for the Playoff qualification. Peshawar Zalmi had a perfect start, after electing to bat, as Saim Ayub (74 off 34) and Babar (115 off 65) stitched the second highest opening partnership of 162. The two batters played exquisite strokes around the dial, giving no place to Quetta Gladiators bowlers to hide. They made full use of the Powerplay, taking 67 runs of it, and dealt in boundaries after the fielding restrictions were lifted. Saim smoked five sixes and six fours before his mishit resulted in an easy catch for Mohammad Nawaz, Quetta Gladiators’ stand-in skipper, at cover off Dwaine Pretorius. To make the most of the platform laid by the openers, Peshawar Zalmi promoted Rovman Powell to number three and the West Indian obliged with an 18-ball 35 not out (three fours and two sixes). From the other end, Babar produced a batting masterclass in which he smashed 18 elegant boundaries (15 fours and three sixes). This was his eighth century and placed him on the joint-second spot in the list for the most T20 centuries with Michael Klinger, David Warner and Aaron Finch. Chris Gayle tops that chart with 22. Roy, in reply, put the best-ever HBL PSL individual score with 145 not out in only 63 balls as he smashed 20 fours and five sixes. That he had the company of Martin Guptill, who played a cameo of eight-ball 21 (three fours and a six) before getting caught and bowled off Wahab Riaz in the third over, played in Quetta Gladiators’ favour as by the time his wicket fell, they had already racked up 41 runs. What followed next from Roy was a breathtaking display of power-hitting. He partnered with Will Smeed for 109 runs and the latter scored only 26 off them. He tormented Peshawar Zalmi’s bowlers and propelled his side to 88 by the completion of Powerplay. By the completion of the 10th over, Quetta Gladiators had knocked off around 57 per cent of the target. This dismissal of Smeed in the 12th over brought Mohammad Hafeez at the crease and the former Pakistan all-rounder rolled back the clock with clean hitting that he had become known for in the twilight of his international career. Hafeez spanked 41 not out off just 18 balls with six fours and two sixes to help Roy pull off a run chase for the ages. The match also marked the first-ever instance of Sarfaraz Ahmed missing an HBL PSL game as Quetta Gladiators regular skipper nursed an injured finger.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: The National Tenpin Bowling Championship started at Jinnah Park Bowling Club Rawalpindi, as the Commissioner, Rawalpindi Liaqat Ali Chatha inaugurated the championship, which is being played under the banner of Pakistan Tenpin Bowling Federation (PTBF). President, PTBF, Ijazur Rahman, Secretary General, Mohammad Hussain Chatha, Divisional Sports Officer, Rawalpindi, Haji Waheed Babar, and a large number of people were also present on the occasion. On the opening day of the championship, the competitions were among the women on the occasion of the World Women's Day March 8, 2023. Around 150 male and female players are participating in the championship. The semi-final of the event will be held on March 11 and the final on March 12. A prize of ten lakh rupees has been set in the championship. The championship will end on March 12 and prizes will be distributed among the players who have successfully completed the championship.

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE: BN Polo and DS Polo carved out contrasting victories in the Century Ventures National Open Polo Championship for Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup 2023 matches played here at the Lahore Polo Club on Wednesday. Elena Venot shines in BN Polo impressive victory Sensational female foreign player Elena Venot excelled in BN Polo’s tremendous 9-5 triumph over FG Polo in the first match of the day.  Elena Venot, who is the only female player, representing BN Polo in the tournament, put up a brilliant show throughout the match and with his excellent polo skills and techniques, she succeeded in firing in four fabulous goals. Hamza Mawaz Khan also exhibited his prowess during the match and hammered an impressive hat-trick while Tito Ruiz Guinazu banged in a brace. For FG Polo, Juan Gustavo Ambroggio and Ramiro Zavaleta contributed with a brilliant brace each while Mian Abbas Mukhtar converted one goal.  FG Polo started the five-chukker match well and converted two goals against one by BN Polo to take a slight 2-1 lead in the first chukker. BN Polo made a strong comeback in the second chukker by thrashing in three back-to-back goals against one by FG Polo to earn a 4-3 lead. BN Polo then slammed in the only goal of the third chukker to enhance their lead to 5-3.  The fourth chukker was evenly poised as both the teams converted two goals each, with BN Polo still enjoying a 7-5 lead. The fifth and last chukker saw the dominance of BN Polo, who pumped in two back-to-back goals to win the match by 9-5.  Hissam, Gurrero heroics help DS Polo beat HN Polo 7-6 High-flying Hissam Ali Hyder and dazzling Javier Gurrero guided DS Polo to a narrow 7-6 victory over HN Polo in the second match of the day. Both Hissam and Gurrero did magic with mallets and polo ponies and contributed with a hat-trick each for the winning side while Bilal Haye converted one goal for DS Polo. On the other hand, Raja Mikail Sami also played well and thrashed in three goals while Santiago Loza struck a brace and Haider Naseem scored one goal for HN Polo.  DS Polo converted the first goal of the match to take a 1-0 lead, which couldn’t last long as HN Polo also fired in a field goal to level the score at 1-1 just before the end of the first chukker. DS Polo then dominated the second chukker by thrashing in two back-to-back goals to take a 3-1 lead. The third chukker was evenly poised as both the sides banging in a brace each, with DS Polo still having a 5-3 lead.  HN Polo made a tremendous comeback in the fourth chukker as they hammered a hat-trick to gain a 6-3 lead, which couldn’t last long as DS Polo smashed in an equalizer just before the end of the fourth chukker. The fifth and decisive chukker saw both the teams trying to convert the match-winning goals but after a tough fight, Ds Polo succeeded in smashing the match-winner, thus winning the encounter by 7-6.  Thursday’s Fixtures: In the first match of the day at 1:30 PM, Master Paints/Newage Cables will take on Diamond Paints, while Remounts will face Master Paints at 3:30 PM. Match Summary: BN POLO 9-5 FG POLO BN POLO: Elena Venot 4, Hamza Mawaz Khan 3, Tito Ruiz Guinazu 2. Total: 9 FG POLO: Juan Gustavo Ambroggio 2, Ramiro Zavaleta 2, Mian Abbas Mukhtar 1. Total: 5 Umpires: John Fisher & Chris Hyde. DS POLO 7-6 HN POLO DS POLO: Hissam Ali Hyder 3, Javier Gurrero 3, Bilal Haye 1. Total: 7 HN POLO: Raja Mikail Sami 3, Santiago Loza 2, Haider Naseem 1. Total: 6 Umpires: John Fisher & Chris Hyde.

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: Super Women outclassed Amazons Women by 8 wickets in an exhibition fixture that was played at Pindi Cricket Stadium on the occasion of World Women Day under the banner of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday. A sparkling half-century by South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt and an all-round performance by Nida Dar helped Super Women to defeat Amazons by eight wickets. Wolvaardt scored 53 not out and Nida Dar followed her three for 25 with the ball with 23 not out with the bat as the two batters put on 68 runs for the unbroken third wicket to help Super Women achieve the 132-run target with more than four overs to spare. Wolvaardt belted a six to reach her half-century and also take her side home. Her 36-ball knock also included six fours, while Nida scored almost run-a-ball 23 with a four. In pursuit of a 133-run target, opener Muneeba Ali and Chamari Athapaththu put on 39 runs for the first wicket before the latter departed after scoring a rapid 23 from 13 balls with four fours and a six. Muneeba then added 31 runs for the second wicket with Wolvaardt before joining Athapaththu in the dressing room after scoring a 27-ball 33 with six fours. Nashra Sundhu and Anam Amin took a wicket each, conceding 18 and 23 runs, respectively. Earlier, Amazons, electing to bat first, were off to a flying start of 46 in 5.3 overs before they lost their way and ended up at 132 for nine – thanks to a 35-ball 38 by top-scorer Aliya Riaz.  The Pakistan all-rounder hit three fours and a six before she was smartly run-out by Chamari Athapaththu from extra-cover when the Sri Lanka captain had one stump to aim. England duo of Tammy Beaumont and Danni Wyatt equally struck eight fours between them as they matched each other stroke by stroke. The partnership ended when Beaumont’s 18-ball 24 innings was ended by Syeda Masooma Zahra. Three balls later, Wyatt fell to a good reflex action catch by Sadia Iqbal off Nida Dar as Amazons slipped from 46-0 to 49-2. The dismissal of the two openers opened floodgates from both ends as the Amazons failed to overcome a disciplined and accurate bowling by the Super Women and continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. Maia Bouchier (18 off 15) and Fatima Sana (13 off 10) were the only middle-order batters who helped their side to reach 132 for nine. For Super Women, Nida was as effective, economical and successful as ever when she returned figures of three for 25, while Tuba Hasan also impressed with figures of two for 18. Syeda Masooma Zahra, Umm-e-Hani and Lea Tahuhu picked up one wicket apiece. The second match of the three-match series be played on Friday and will start at 2pm. This match will be followed by the Peshawar Zalmi-Multan Sultans fixture in the HBL PSL 8 and will commence at 7pm. Tickets for the men’s match will be valid for the women’s fixture. Summarized Scorecard: Amazons Women Batting (132 for 8 in 20 overs) Tammy Beaumont 24 runs (balls 18, 4x4, 6x0), Sadia Iqbal 22 runs (balls 18, 4x3, 6x0), Aliya Riaz 38 runs (balls 35, 4x3, 6x1), Super Women (Bowling): Lea Tahuhu (1 for 24), Syeda Masooma Zahra (1 for 15), Nida Dar (3 for 25), Umm-e-Hani (1 for 16), Tuba Hassan (2 for 18) Super Women Batting (Target 133 runs in 20 overs) Muneeba Ali 33 runs (balls 27, 4x6, 6x0), Chamari Athapaththu 23 (balls 13, 4x4, 6x1), Laura Wolvaardt 53 runs not out (balls 36, 4x6, 6x1) Nida Dar 23 runs not out (21 balls, 4x1, 6x0) Amazons Women (Bowling): Anam Amin (1 for 30), Nashra Sandhu (1 for 23) Player of the Match: Nida Dar

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: Faheem Ashraf was once again the finisher for Islamabad United as his quick-fire half-century helped the home side to a nail-biting two-wicket win over Multan Sultans. Faheem struck three boundaries and a maximum in the final over of the match as Islamabad United became the first team in HBL Pakistan Super League to score 18 off the last over to win a match. Islamabad United’s chase of the 206-run target was beset by early blows as Alex Hales and Rahmanullah Gurbaz were both undone by Anwar Ali’s slower deliveries. Colin Munro then rebuilt the innings with skipper Shadab Khan as the two hammered 59 runs in 30 balls. Munro was dismissed for his 21-ball 40 studded with four fours and three sixes when he misread a quicker one from Usama Mir that hit the top of middle and off stump. Azam Khan’s dismissal for just three runs did not deter Shadab, who continued to attack from the other end as he accumulated 44 off 25 with the help of three fours and as many sixes. Shadab’s wicket triggered a mini-collapse for Islamabad United as Asif Ali and Mubasir Khan soon followed him back to the pavilion. With the hosts requiring 46 off the final three overs, Faheem and Mohammad Wasim Jnr stitched an explosive partnership of 28 runs in 12 deliveries. A lucky bottom edge earned Faheem a boundary on the first legal ball of the 20th over bowled by Mohammad Ilyas before he played a remarkable reverse-scoop over third man for six. A double on the third ball was followed by two successive boundaries by Faheem to pull off the highest successful chase for Islamabad United. Earlier, Multan Sultans rode on Tim David’s fireworks to post 205 for the loss of five wickets. David, playing his first match of the season, smoked four consecutive sixes off Rumman Raees in the 16th over and made 60 off 27 balls. Looking set to perhaps cross the 220-mark at one stage, Multan Sultans could only score 32 runs in their last four overs as Wasim (2-48) pulled things back with tight bowling in the final phase. Shan Masood headlined Multan Sultans’ batting exploits with his 50-ball 75 featuring 12 fours while Mohammad Rizwan slammed three sixes and a solitary boundary in his 18-ball 33 to get his team off to a flier. Shadab applied the brakes in the middle overs of the innings, as he registered the scalps of Rizwan and Rilee Rossouw and gave away 26 runs in his four overs, including a maiden.