KARACHI: Central Punjab (CP), Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) registered wins in the second-round matches of this year’s Pakistan Cup of the ongoing domestic season, here on Friday.
In the fourth match of the ongoing Pakistan Cup, Sindh sealed a consolidating six wickets triumph against Balochistan with 51 balls to spare.
Set to chase 210, Sindh comfortably chased down the total in the 42nd over, thanks to the fifties from Sharjeel Khan and Omair Bin Yousuf.
Sharjeel top-scored with his 73-ball 53, while Omair remained unbeaten for 52. He faced 86 balls and smashed seven boundaries to steer his side over the line.
For Balochistan, Yasir Shah led the way with two wickets, while Asad Shafiq and Khurram Shahzad picked one wicket each.
Batting first, Balochistan could only manage to post a paltry 209/9 in the allotted 50 overs, despite Abdul Wahid Bangalzai’s century.
The side had a poor start to their innings; losing half of their batting line-up for a mere 75. Bangalzai fought back with his gritty knock of 136 but remained a little too defensive as the batter faced a mammoth 203 deliveries, the rest of the batters, on the other hand, failed to contribute significantly to the team’s total.
For Sindh, Shahnawaz Dahani, Abrar Ahmed, and Danish Aziz bagged two wickets each, while Mir Hamza and Mohammad Asghar managed to make one scalp each.
In another second-round match, KPK thumped Southern Punjab (SP) by six wickets and 91 balls to spare.
Despite a poor start, the defending champions comfortably steered to the victory in the 35th over, thanks to the half-centuries from Sahibzada Farhan and Adil Amin.
Farhan scored 50 off 106 balls, top of the order, while Adil remained unbeaten with his 57 and guided his side to the triumph. The right-handed batter faced 111 balls and smashed six boundaries.
For SP, Rahat Ali claimed two wickets, while Salman Ali Agha and Hassan Khan made one scalp each.
Batting first, the SP batting line-up failed completely and could only manage to score 183 before being bowled out in the 42nd over. Sharoon Siraj fought hard with his stunning knock of 53 runs, but he too could not power his side to a commendable total as he received no support from the other end.
For KPK, Khalid Usman picked three wickets, while Kamran Ghulam and Arshad Iqbal bagged two each. Asif Afridi and Sameen Gul, on the other hand, made one scalp each.
In the sixth match, CP defeated Northern by 30 runs in a rain-affected contest.
After being put in to bat first, the CP managed to score 193 in the allotted 25 overs, thanks to Muhammad Akhlaq’s outstanding unbeaten 70-runs knock. The top-order batter faced 86 deliveries and hit eight boundaries including a six in the course of his anchoring innings.
The side’s opener Rizwan Hussain and Ahmed Shehzad also contributed significantly with brilliant knocks of 31 and 34 respectively.
For Northern, Musa Khan claimed two wickets, while Imad Wasim, Salman Irshad, and Mehran Mumtaz struck out a batter each.
Set to chase 194, the home side Northern’s batting line-up failed completely and could only manage to score 163; handing an easy 30-runs victory to the CP.
The top-order left-handed batter Umar Amin resisted a bit with his gritty 34, while the rest of the batters walked back to the pavilion without disturbing the scoreboard much.
For CP, Wahab Riaz shone with four wickets, while Ahmed Bashir and Qasim Akram bagged two each. Usman Qadir and Raza Ali Dar, on the other hand, picked up a wicket apiece.
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