Tag: Markhors

RAWALPINDI: Opening batter Khawaja Mohammad Nafay smashed a fiery half-century to anchor Markhors’ two-wicket win over a fighting Dolphins on the fourth day of the ongoing Champions T20 Cup here on Tuesday.

Nafay’s 41-ball 68 was spiced with four sixes and as many fours that guided Markhors to chase the modest 129-run target in 18.5 overs.

The Misbah-ul-Haq mentored team is now second with four points while Stallions are top of the Champions T20 Cup points table, also with four points from two matches but have a superior net run rate.

22-year-old Nafay from Karachi lifted his team from the early loss of Fakhar Zaman (0), Muhammad Shahzad (11) and Abdul Samad (1). Nafay added 29 for the fourth wicket with skipper Iftikhar Ahmed who made five.

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Spinner Qasim Akram dismissed Khawaja Nafay leg-before and then two more wickets fell as Dolphins fought back but Mohammad Nawaz made sure the chase was completed with a cautious 19-ball 18 not out including two fours while Akif Javed hit the winning boundary.

Dolphins, who have now lost both their matches, were given an ideal start by fast bowler Sameen Gul who took three early wickets but other than him no bowler could detrack the rampaging Markhors.

Earlier, sent into bat, Dolphins lost Sahibzada Farhan in the first over, without scoring. Muhammad Akhlaq hit a 33-ball 40 studded with two sixes and three boundaries while Mirza Tahir Baig knocked a 28-ball 29 with two sixes and a boundary

Dolphins were relying on vice-captain Qasim Akram who scored 14 and experienced batter Umar Amin who managed just 11 as they slumped from 81-2 to 128-9. Nawaz grabbed 3-28 while fast-rising pacer Akif Javed finished with 2-33.

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FAISALABAD: Shadab Khan-led Panthers will square off against Iftikhar Ahmed’s Markhors in the final of the inaugural edition of the Champions One-Day Cup, scheduled at Iqbal Stadium on Sunday.

The final, set to begin at 3pm will be the third occasion in this tournament where these two teams will face each other with both having won one game each previously.

In the tournament opener on 12 September, the Markhors got the better of Panthers with a 160-run win while the Panthers defeated Markhors in the qualifier by seven wickets to reach the final.

Markhors on the other hand advanced to the final based on their top standing in the league stage after their eliminator clash against the Nurpur Lions was called off without a ball being bowled.

In total the Panthers have so far played five matches in the tournament winning four and losing just one while the Markhors have played six games reaping three wins, two losses while their last game was a washout.

Markhors and Panthers have both seen changes in their squads after Pakistan’s Test squad for the first Test against England was announced. In the Markhors squad, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah and Salman Ali Agha have been replaced by Bismillah Khan, Niaz Khan and Zain Abbas.

Danish Aziz and Sajid Khan have replaced Mubasir Khan and Saim Ayub in the Panthers squad. While Saim was named in the Test squad, the all-rounder Mubasir was ruled out due to a thumb fracture.

Panthers’ Usman Khan leads the runs scoring charts in the tournament with 259 runs at an average of 64.75 in five matches with one hundred. Stallions’ Tayyab Tahir sits on the second spot with 249 runs at 49.80 while Kamran Ghulam of Markhors has scored 248 runs in the five matches at 49.60 including two hundreds.

Usman and Kamran will look to finish as the top run-scorers of the tournament.

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On the bowling front, Panthers’ Mohammad Hasnain is the leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets followed by Stallions’ Jahandad Khan, Lions’ and Markhors’ Zahid Mahmood who have 10 each to their names.

Markhors’ captain Iftikhar Ahmed is upbeat about the chance to become the inaugural edition of the tournament and also to instil his experience to the youngsters in the squad.

“The Bahria Town Champions One-Day Cup has been a fantastic tournament and to stake a claim for becoming the inaugural champions of this domestic competition is an exciting prospect for the UMT Markhors.

“I will look to instil my experience of playing for Pakistan in high-pressure games to the young players in our squad. The fans will surely get to see a highly-competitive final tomorrow.

“We are hopeful to repeat the opening game heroics against the Lake City Panthers. Despite the departure of Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah and Salman Ali Agha, the Markhors team is committed to giving the best performance in the final and lifting the trophy.”

Shadab Khan, on the other hand, shared his excitement to lead the Panthers in the Champions Cup final before asserting that the team is steadfast, having been able to rest for four days after the Qualifier.

“I’m really excited to be leading the Lake City Panthers in the final of the Bahria Town Champions One-Day Cup and I’m pretty sure this occasion will bring the best out of our players.

“After our win in the Qualifier, we had four off days where we took ample rest and trained for the final as well which has set up the Panthers squad in the best stead possible to compete in a high-profile game.

“We will miss Saim Ayub’s presence with the ball and bat but so many of the other players are ready to put their hand up and give their best. The final is going to be a cracking contest and I hope the fans turn up in big numbers as they have done throughout the tournament.”

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FAISALABAD: The toss of the Champions One-Day Cup’s Eliminator 2 between the Markhors and the Lions has been delayed due to the wet outfield here on Friday.

The winner of the Eliminator will face the winners of the Qualifier — Panthers, led by all-rounder Shadab Khan, in the final on 29 September.

Notably, Panthers outclassed Mohammad Rizwan-led Markhors by seven wickets to qualify for the Champions One-Day Cup final.

Saim Ayub played a pivotal role in guiding his side to victory in the high-stakes clash by backing his five-wicket haul with an anchoring knock up the order in the run chase.

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He was supported by wicketkeeper batter Usman Khan, who scored a quickfire half-century to steer the Panthers to a statement victory with 158 balls to spare.

Meanwhile, the Lions defeated Stallions with a narrow 12-run margin in the Champions One-Day Cup Eliminator to set up the Eliminator 2 against Markhors.

It’s worth noting that the players selected in Pakistan’s squad for the first Test against England have been withdrawn from Champions One-Day Cup squads.

Consequently, the Lions will be without their captain Shaheen Afridi, all-rounder Aamir Jamal and opening batter Abdullah Shafique, meanwhile, Markhors will be missing skipper Mohammad Rizwan, as well as all-rounder Salman Ali Agha and pace bowler Naseem Shah.

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FAISALABAD: Zahid Mahmood claimed 5-18, while Salman Ali Agha took three wickets to lead Markhors to a thumping 126-run victory against Stallions in the fourth match of the Champions One-Day Cup here at Iqbal Stadium on Sunday.

Stallions got off to a shaky start while chasing 232 as Naseem Shah removed both openers inside ten overs.

However, Babar Azam kept Stallions in the hunt with his elegant batting display, scoring 45 runs from 44 balls with the help of eight boundaries.

Meanwhile, Salman Ali Agha dismissed Tayyab Tahir (5) in the 15th over with 79 runs on the board.

Mohammad Rizwan introduced Zahid Mahmood in the next over and the decision proved fruitful as the leg-spinner removed Babar Azam off the first ball.

With the scoreboard reading 79-4 and the pitch offering some assistance to the spinners, Markhors capitalized by taking wickets at regular intervals.

Stallions’ batters failed to pose any threat to the spin attack of Zahid Mahmood and Salman Ali Agha as they bundled out for a meagre 105 runs in 23.4 overs.

Except for Shan Masood (19) and Babar Azam, no other batter managed to reach the double figures.

Zahid Mahmood took the final wicket of Abrar Ahmed to complete his five-wicket haul, while Salman Ali Agha and Naseem Shah managed three and two wickets respectively.

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Earlier, Markhors had a similar start to their innings after opting to bat first as they found themselves struggling at 38-3 in 8.3 overs.

Captain Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha helped Markhors make a comeback with a 56-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

However, Mehran Mumtaz removed Rizwan, who was playing at 33, to halt Markhors’ progress.

Salman Ali Agha remained firm and stitched a 65-run stand with Iftikhar Ahmed, completing his half-century in the process. He fell prey to Jahandad Khan right after reaching the milestone.

Iftikhar Ahmed was joined by Abdul Samad, who played a blistering knock in the Champions Cup opener against the Panthers and started his innings in the same flow today.

Abdul Samad played a 35-ball knock of 37 runs, laced with five boundaries and one six, adding 62 runs for the sixth wicket before Mehran Mumtaz ended his entertaining knock.

Samad departed with the scoreboard reading 221-6, however, Markhors lost the next four wickets for only ten runs as they got bundled out for 231.

Iftikhar Ahmed was the top-scorer for Markhors with 60 runs from 66 balls, featuring eight boundaries.

Jahandad Khan led the bowling attack for Stallions with the figures of 4-49, while Mehran Mumtaz claimed three wickets.

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FAISALABAD: Markhors have won the toss and opted to bat first against Stallions in the fourth match of the Champions One-Day Cup here at Iqbal Stadium on Sunday.

PLAYING XIs

Markhors: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Faizan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (c), Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Zahid Mahmood, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Akif Javed

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Stallions: Mohammad Haris (c), Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Yasir Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Hussain Talat, Jahandad Khan, Mehran Mumtaz, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ali

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FAISALABAD: Kamran Ghulam’s century, followed by a dominant performance by the pacers helped Markhors thump Panthers by 160 runs in the opening match of the Champions One-Day Cup here on Thursday.

Shadab Khan-led Panthers bundled for a meagre 187 in 34.5 overs while chasing a mammoth 348.

They had a horrible start to their chase as Naseem Shah and Akif Javed’s new ball spell left them reeling at 52-6 in ten overs.

Mubasir Khan (33) and Ammad Butt showed resistance with a 59-run partnership for the seventh wicket before Akif struck again to remove the former.

Ammad added another 59 runs with Usama Mir (21) to push the total to 170 but Shahnawaz Dahani dismissed Mir to break the partnership in the 31st over.

Ammad, who top-scored for the Panthers with 72, got clean bowled by Zahid Mehmood before Dahani wrapped up the innings with the wicket of Mohammad Hasnain.

For the Markhors, Naseem and Akif both claimed three wickets, while Dahani grabbed two.

Panthers invited Markhors to bat first and they removed both openers in 13.2 overs with 64 runs on the board.

Kamran Ghulam and skipper Mohammad Rizwan then joined hands, constructing a solid 133-run stand for the third wicket.

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Ghulam attacked the Panthers’ bowlers with his aggressive strokeplay while Rizwan played an anchor role, scoring 45 runs from 57 balls before falling to Mohammad Hasnain.

Mubasir Khan removed new batter Salman Ali Agha in the next over, bringing Iftikhar Ahmed to the crease.

Kamran Ghulam added 63 runs for the fifth wicket with Iftikhar Ahmed before Amad Butt caught him off Hasnain to end his entertaining knock.

Ghulam scored the first century of the Champions One-Day Cup, finishing his innings with 115 runs from 102 balls, laced with twelve boundaries and three sixes.

Abdul Samad joined Iftikhar and turned the game on its head with his belligerent hitting, hitting 62 runs from 25 balls with the help of four boundaries and six sixes.

Meanwhile, Iftikhar returned with an unbeaten 57 off 44, featuring seven boundaries and one six as Markhors scored 347-6 in 50 overs.

For the Panthers, Mubasir Khan and Hasnain picked two wickets each, while Amad Butt and Mohammad Zeeshan bagged one each.

Playing XIs

Panthers: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Faizan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (c), Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Zahid Mahmood, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Akif Javed

Markhors: Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Azan Awais, Haider Ali, Shadab Khan (c), Mubasir Khan, Amad Butt, Mohammad Hasnain, Usama Mir, Mohammad Zeeshan

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FAISALABAD: Shadab Khan-led Panthers have won the toss and elected to field first against Mohammad Rizwan’s Markhors in the opening match of the Champions One-Day Cup at Iqbal Stadium here on Thursday.

Playing XIs

Panthers: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Faizan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (c), Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Zahid Mahmood, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Akif Javed

Markhors: Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Azan Awais, Haider Ali, Shadab Khan (c), Mubasir Khan, Amad Butt, Mohammad Hasnain, Usama Mir, Mohammad Zeeshan

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FAISALABAD: Champions One-Day Cup side the Wolves has been rebranded as the Markhors ahead of the tournament opener, scheduled on 12 September.

The Markhors (formerly Wolves), which is being mentored by the former Pakistan Misbah-ul-Haq, will face Saqlain Mashtaq’s Panthers on 12 September at Iqbal Stadium in the first game of the five-team tournament.

The inaugural edition of the Champions One-Day Cup will be played at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad from 12 September to 29 September.

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The University of Management and Technology (UMT) has acquired the naming rights for the Markhors. On the other hand, Nurpur and Allied Bank have secured the rights for the Lions and the Stallions.

The details of the sponsors for the Dolphins and Panthers will be announced in due course.

Markhors Squad for Champions One-Day Cup

Mohammad Rizwan (captain, Peshawar), Fakhar Zaman (Abbottabad), Abdul Samad (Faisalabad), Akif Javed (FATA), Ali Usman (Multan), Bilawal Bhatti (Muridke), Haseebullah (Pishin), Iftikhar Ahmed (Peshawar), Kamran Ghulam (Peshawar), Mohammad Faizan (Faisalabad), Mohammad Imran Jnr (Peshawar), Mohammad Sarwar Afridi (FATA), Muhammad Imran (Khanewal), Naseem Shah (Lahore), Nisar Ahmed (Lahore), Salman Ali Agha (Lahore), Shahnawaz Dahani (Larkana), Zahid Mehmood (Dadu) and Zain Abbas (Multan).

Player support personnel: Misbah-ul-Haq (mentor), Qasim Ali Paracha (manager), Ijaz Ahmed Jnr (head coach), Khurram Shehzad (batting coach), Mohammad Salman (fielding coach), Muhammad Shahid (masseur), Nabeel Pace (analyst), Saeed Ajmal (spin bowling coach), Samiullah Niazi (fast bowling coach), Syed Mohammad Asad (physiotherapist) and Yasir Malik (strength & conditioning coach)

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