National T20 Cup 2022 Archives

Sohail, openers lead Sindh to maiden National T20 Cup title

MULTAN: Sindh pacer Sohail Khan decimated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) batting line-up before openers Sharjeel Khan and Saim Ayub laid a solid foundation for the run chase in the final to power their side to the maiden National T20 Cup title.

Set to chase a paltry 141 in the final, Sindh comfortably steered to the glory in the 15th over for the loss of just two wickets.

Sindh’s opening pair of Saim and Sharjeel gave the side a flying start as they amassed 70 runs for the first wicket at a rapid pace.

The duo appeared solid and was cruising Sindh to a flawless 10-wicket victory before Mohammad Sarwar provided a much-needed breakthrough to KP as he removed Saim in his first over.

The left-handed young batter scored 36 off 24 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and two sixes.

Following Saim’s dismissal, Sharjeel then joined hands with skipper Saud Shakeel and further carried the proceedings for Sindh till the 12th over before the former fell to Arshad Iqbal after scoring a magnificent half-century.

Sharjeel top-scored for Sindh with a brilliant knock of 53 off 36 balls with the help of four boundaries and as many sixes.

Omair Yousuf and Saud then put on a match-winning 32-run partnership and made sure to drive their side to their maiden National T20 Cup title. Omair scored a quickfire 21* off a mere 12 deliveries, while Saud remained unbeaten with an anchoring 18 off 16.

For KP, only Sarwar and Arshad managed to claim a wicket apiece.

Batting first, the Sohail-led Sindh bowling attack bowled out KP on a paltry total of 140 in the final of the National T20 Cup 2022.

Sohail was the pick among the bowlers for Sindh as he bagged four wickets for a mere 18 runs, while Mir Hamza and Asif Mehmood claimed two wickets each. Leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood, on the other hand, made one scalp.

Rehan Afridi, KP’s opening batsman, put up a fight with a tough 43-run inning, while Sarwar produced a quick 30-run innings in the middle. However, the rest of their batters were unable to make a big impact with the bat in the final, and KP was bowled out for a meagre 140.

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Qasim, Shoaib lift CP in National T20 Cup clash against Northern

MULTAN: Central Punjab (CP) captain Qasim Akram and veteran batter Shoaib Malik led the charge in their final group stage encounter of the ongoing National T20 Cup 2022 against Northern with a fifty each, helping the side finish third in the standings.

Set to chase 163, the fifties from Qasim and Shoaib powered CP to seal a much-needed victory to finish the group stage of the tournament on a high after a dismal start.

The CP were off to a poor start to the run chase as the side lost both openers Faizan Khan and Muhammad Akhlaq at a mere 33 in the fifth over.

Top-order batter Tayyab Tahir, who had a remarkable tournament thus far, kept scoring at a rapid pace but failed short at the cusp of the batting powerplay as he fell to Salman Irshad for 23.

Following the slump, Shoaib and Qasim stood up for their side and put on a match-defining 100-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

The pair appeared solid and were looking confident to steer the CP over the line before Zaman Khan struck in the 18th over to remove Qasim for 58. He faced 37 deliveries in the course of his brilliant knock and smashed eight boundaries.

Right-handed experienced batter Shoaib, on the other hand, remained unbeaten and top-scored for the side with 62 off 39 deliveries, laced with six boundaries and two sixes.

For Northern, Mehran Mumtaz, Sohail Tanvir, Zaman, and Salman made one scalp each.

Batting first, Norther finished at a below-par 162/5 in the allotted 20 overs despite a magnificent knock from the opening batter Nasir Nawaz. He top-scored for the side with 82 off 57 deliveries, laced with six boundaries and four sixes.

Besides Nasir, none of the Northern batters could contribute significantly and the side, as a result, failed to amass a massive score. Skipper Umar Amin chipped in with 31 but remained a touch too slow as he faced 29 deliveries in the proceedings.

For CP, Aamer Yamin led the way with three wickets, while Hunain Shah and Faizan Khan struck out a batter each.

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Sarfaraz’s 62* goes in vain as CP down Sindh in National T20 Cup

RAWALPINDI: Sindh wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed’s valiant knock of unbeaten 62 runs went in vain as Central Punjab’s (CP) Aamer Yamin held his nerves calm to defend 21 runs in the final over to bolster his side to a maiden victory in the ongoing National T20 Cup 2022.

Set to chase a commendable 189, Sindh fell 11 runs short in the end despite a blistering and gritty knock by wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz as he could not get any support from the rest of the batters.

Sindh were off to a flying start to their run chase as the right-handed young opener Saim Ayub took on the CP bowlers and scored at a rapid pace. His partner, Sharjeel, however, who was struggling to get going, perished in the fourth over after scoring a snail-paced nine.

Saim then joined hands with Omair Yousuf and added 30 runs for the second wicket before Shoaib Malik trapped him in his legs in the seventh over. He scored a quickfire 35 off 17 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and two sixes.

Sindh lost another wicket in the next over and were slipped to 65/3 as all-rounder Saad Khan perished cheaply for a mere one.

Sarfaraz then joined Omair at the crease and anchored the run chase with a 53-run partnership for the fourth wicket. The pair appeared solid and had brought their side back in the hunt before the latter fell in the 15th over after scoring 37 off 29 deliveries.

Following his departure, Sindh began to lose wickets at an alarming rate, while Sarfaraz held his ground firm and kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly.

All-rounder Anwar Ali was the only batter who provided some support to Sarfaraz to pull off the match, while the rest of the batters could not enter the double-figures.

Sarfaraz remained unbeaten with his quickfire knock of 62 off just 37 deliveries, laced with five boundaries and two sixes.

Usama Mir shone with the ball for CP as he bagged three wickets, while Mohammad Ali claimed two. Shoaib, Qasim Akram, and Yamin, on the other hand, made one scalp each.

Batting first, CP managed to put on a decent 188/5 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to the fifties from Faizan Khan and Shoaib.

Faizan top-scored for the side with a blistering 55 off a mere 24 deliveries including six boundaries and four sixes, while Shoaib followed back with 54 off just 33 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and two sixes.

Tayyab Tahir and Irfan Khan also contributed with 33 each and bolstered the side to finish at a decent total.

For Sindh, Abrar Ahmed and Sohail Khan led the way with two wickets each, while Saim struck out a batter.

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KP beat Northern in a thriller to secure second win in National T20 Cup

RAWALPINDI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) pacer Imran Khan Snr held his nerves calm to defend 15 runs against Northern in the final over to hand his side a second consecutive victory in the ongoing National T20 Cup 2022.

Set to defend 15 in the penultimate over, Imran had the worst possible start to his over as his first delivery went for a six. The right-arm pacer, however, did not lose the momentum and went on to halt the Northern batters to seal the victory as they fell two runs short of the glory.

Batting first, KP finished at a commendable 159/8 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to the anchoring half-century from opening batter Sahibzada Farhan.

The right-handed opener top-scored for the side with a magnificent 53 off 45 deliveries, laced with two boundaries and three sixes. His opening partner Mohammad Haris also chipped in up the order with a brilliant 33 off 27.

All-rounder Mohammad Sarwar then scored an important 24 runs down the order and powered KP to finish at 159/8.

For Northern, Usman Shinwari and Slaman Irshad bagged three wickets each, while Aamer Jamal and Mehran Mumtaz struck out a batter each.

Set to chase 160, Northern fell a mere two runs short courtesy of a brilliant final over from Imran Snr and finished at 157/5 in 20 overs.

Opening batter Hassan Nawaz top-scored for the side with an important 38, while skipper Ali Imran scored an anchoring 31 off 27 deliveries, but that too, could not propel Northern to seal the victory.

For KP, Khalid Usman claimed two wickets for 16, while Kamran Ghulam, Arshad Iqbal, and Imran Snr made one scalp each.

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Imran shines as KPK beat Central Punjab by 18 runs in National T20 Cup

RAWALPINDI: Imran Khan Snr led the bowling attack with four wickets against Central Punjab (CP) to power the defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) to their maiden victory in the recently-commenced National T20 Cup 2022.

Set to chase 166 in 20 overs, CP fell 16 runs short in the end, and finished at 147/9 in 19.1 overs as their captain Faheem Ashraf remained unavailable to bat due to an injury.

The side were off to a dismal start to their run chase as they lost two wickets for a mere 33 in five overs. Tayyab Tahir and Qasim Akram then anchored the innings with an important 57-run partnership for the third wicket.

The pair appeared solid and was looking to take the game into CP’s favour before Arshad Iqbal castled Qasim in the 12th over. The right-handed batter scored a run-a-ball 15.

Following the breakthrough, CP ran into a frustrating lower-order collapse and as a result, slipped to 147/8 in 19 overs with their top-scorer Tayyab being the latest casualty. He scored a brilliant 72 off 45 deliveries, laced with five boundaries and three sixes.

CP captain Faheem, who sustained an injury while bowling in the first inning could not bat in the run chase forcing the side to finish at 147/9 with five balls to spare.

Imran Snr was the pick of the bowlers for KPK as he returned with match-winning bowling figures of 4-27, while Asif Afridi and Mohammad Imran bagged two wickets each. Arshad, on the other hand, made a timely scalp.

Batting first, KPK managed to register a decent total of 165/6 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to the combined batting effort from the defending champions.

Kamran Ghulam remained the top scorer for the side with 39 off 32 deliveries, while Mohammad Sarwar Afridi followed back with a quickfire 30 off 21 balls.

Ali Asfand led the bowling attack for CP with two wickets, while Wahab Riaz, Usama Mir, and Irfan Khan Niazi struck out a batter each.

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