LAHORE: Gwadar Sharks’ all-rounder Arafat Minhas displayed a remarkable all-round performance and powered his side to maintain their unbeaten run in the ongoing Pakistan Junior League as they downed Gujranwala Giants by 44 runs in a low-scoring encounter.
The Sharks, batting first – on the invitation of Giants’ captain Uzair Mumtaz – bowled out for 131 in 20 overs.
Left-handed batter Arafat displayed grit after his side was off to a dismal start and scored a fighting 37 before falling prey to Hasan Ali Jr in the 13th over.
Arafat’s 30-ball knock featured one boundary and a six.
Besides Arafat, Luc Benkenstein was the other notable run-getter as he accumulated 26 off 20 before falling to Hasan Jr.
The rest of the Sharks’ batters made handy contributions with the bat as the side finished at a respectable 131 in 20 overs.
Mohammad Ibtisam and Hasan Jr were the picks of the bowlers for the Giants as they returned with figures of 2/21 and 2/25 respectively. Matthew Tromp, Ali Asfand and Thomas Aspinwall made one scalp each.
Set to chase 132, the Giants’ batting lineup failed completely and bundled out for a skimpy 87 in the 16th over.
Arafat, who top-scored for the Sharks in the first innings, led the bowling charts as well and returned with astounding figures of 4/13.
Besides Arafat, Momin Qamar and Saad Masood bagged two wickets each, while Mohammad Shoaib and Mohammad Ismail struck out a batter apiece.
Giants’ middle-order batter Shevon Daniel looked to put on a fight as he top-scored for his side with a gritty 28, while the rest of the batters failed to leave their mark in the run chase.
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