Sports Bulletin Report
MULTAN:-All eyes will be on defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when they take on Balochistan in the final of the Pakistan Cup on Friday at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
The 50-over tournament will be the last tournament of the 2021-22 domestic cricket season, in which the Pakistan Cricket Board delivered 11 tournaments (280 matches).
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have already annexed the U13, U16, U19, National T20 Cup and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy titles and if they succeed in winning on Friday, this will be their sixth title of the 2021-22 season and seventh in succession.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa qualified for the final after defeating Central Punjab by six wickets in the first semi-final on 28 March, while Yasir Shah-led Balochistan progressed to the title match after overpowering Sindh by 13 runs in the second semi-final on 30 March.
The winner will collect a cheque of PKR5million, while the losing side will receive PKR2.5million. Separately, PKR1million will be distributed between the Player of the Tournament, Best Batter, Best Bowler and Best Wicketkeeper, while the Player of the Final will receive PKR35,000.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain Khalid Usman: “We have played some outstanding cricket during the season and we would like to end it on a winning note.
“The players have responded well in different conditions and different formats, and I hope they will do well in the final. Balochistan is a good side and they have performed well in crunch situations and so, we are hoping that fans are up for a good contest tomorrow.”
Balochistan captain Yasir Shah: “I am really proud of the players; the way they have responded in this tournament.
“Our combination is really good and I am hopeful of lifting the title on Friday. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a great side, but we have the resources to beat them in all departments of the game.”
Both sides have met twice in the tournament before going into Friday’s final.
In the third round match at the Multan Cricket Stadium on March 6, Balochistan inflicted a crushing eight-wicket win over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Imran Butt and Asad Shafiq scored unbeaten half-centuries, while Amad Butt and Khurram Shahzad bagged three wickets apiece for the winning team.
In the return match at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on 26 March, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bounced back and won the match by 49 runs. Adil Amin’s 92 and captain Khalid three wickets played an instrumental role in the victory.
Top performers:
Balochistan’s Haseebullah is the second highest run-getter in the tournament with 569 runs from 11 matches at an average of 56.90. The left-handed batter was named player-of-the-match in the second semi-final against Sindh for his 114-ball 131.
Test cricketer and Balochistan’s middle-order batter Asad Shafiq currently occupies fourth spot in the batting charts with 489 runs at 97.80. Another Test cricketer and Balochistan’s opening batter Imran Butt has scored 481 runs from 11 outings in the tournament at an average of 53.44.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kamran Ghulam holds the seventh spot in the batting charts with 461 runs from 11 matches at 41.91. The 2020 Domestic Cricketer of the Year was named player-of-the-match in the first semi-final against Central Punjab for his 120-ball 109. Adil Amin is on the ninth spot with 453 runs from 11 matches at 45.30.
Amongst the bowlers, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s captain Khalid leads the table with 23 wickets from 11 matches. Khalid is followed by his rival captain Yasir, who has taken 20 wickets from 11 matches.
