LAHORE: Young left-handed batter Saim Ayub scored a magnificent half-century in the intra-squad practice match and powered Shadab Khan’s Stallions to beat Babar Azam’s Badshahs by two wickets.
Set to chase 157, the Stallions accumulated 158/8 in 19.3 Overs, thanks to a brilliant foundation knock by young Saim.
Saim displayed character when his side got off to a poor start to the run chase and at one stage were reeling at 13/3 as Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz perished cheaply.
Stallions’ skipper Shadab then joined Saim in the middle and settled things down with an anchoring 54-run partnership before Ihsanullah removed the former, who could score 28 off 23 deliveries.
Following Shadab’s dismissal, Abdullah Shafique put on a brief partnership with Saim Ayub but failed to stretch his stay at the crease and fell victim to Ihsanullah after scoring 14.
With half of the side back in the hut at 85 in pursuit of 158, the Stallions benefitted from a crucial partnership between Saim and Tayyab Tahir as the pair eased the pressure with a 43-run partnership and scored at a brisk pace before Saim Ayub perished.
The left-handed opener scored a valiant 50 off 33 deliveries, laced up with four boundaries and two sixes.
Tayyab took responsibility after Saim Ayub’s dismissal and made sure his side sailed through with an unbeaten 24-ball 36, which featured three boundaries and one six.
Shaheen Shah Afridi led the bowling attack for Badshahs with 3/22 while Zaman Khan and Ihsanullah bagged two each.
Batting first, Babar-led Badshahs piled 157/8 at the back of a cautious 46-run knock by their skipper.
Badshahs also started off poorly as the side lost an early wicket for just 22 runs in the form of their opener Fakhar Zaman, who scored four off seven.
Following an early slump, Babar stitched a gritty second-wicket partnership with Mohammad Haris and added 49 runs to the total before Mohammad Nawaz drew curtains on Haris’s brief knock. He scored a brisk 29 in just 16 deliveries, hitting four boundaries and a six.
Right-handed top-order batsman Babar Azam then put on a brief 31-run partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed (22) before falling to Mohammad Nawaz just four short of his half-century. He top-scored for Badshahs with 46 off 43 deliveries and smashed six boundaries.
Later on Imad Wasim’s handy 12-ball 25 and Usama Mir’s 10-ball 23 bolstered Badshahs to a competitive total.
Mohammad Wasim Jr was the pick of the bowlers for the Stallions as he returned with 3/38 in his four overs while Naseem Shah and Ihsanullah made two scalps each.
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