Tag: National T20 Cup

RAWALPINDI: Sindh’s wicket-keeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed led the way with a gritty knock of 42 runs before the bowlers displayed combined effort to hand their side an opening victory against Southern Punjab (SP) in the recently-commenced National T20 Cup 2022/23.

In the first match of the National T20 Cup, Sindh outclassed Southern Punjab by a hefty margin of 42 runs at the back of the astonishing valiant knock from the former captain Sarfaraz.

Batting first, Sindh were off to a decent start as the openers Sharjeel Khan and Saim Ayub provided a solid 38-run partnership for the first wicket.

The duo appeared solid and were scoring at a quick pace before Ali Majid castled the left-hander in the fifth over. Sharjeel scored 24 off 19 deliveries, laced with five boundaries.

The side then lost another wicket in a span of six deliveries as newly-arrived right-handed batter Omair Yousuf fell cheaply for five.

Sindh captain Saud Shakeel then attempted to anchor the inning with Saim but remained unable and could only add 29 runs for the third wicket before Saim perished after scoring a quick 30 off 20 deliveries, laced with five boundaries.

Saud’s stay at the crease also remained brief as he walked back to the pavilion in the 12th over after scoring a run-a-ball 18.

Following his dismissal, the side then began to lose wickets at an alarming rate while the wicket-keeper held his ground firm and kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly till the final over.

Sarfaraz top-scored for the side with 42 off 32 deliveries, laced with six boundaries, while the tailenders failed to contribute significantly as Sindh finished at 147 in 19.4 overs.

Sameen Gul and Mohammad Ilyas bagged three wickets each for SP, while Faisal Akram claimed two. Mohammad Imran and Ali Majid, on the other hand, made one scalp each.

Set to chase 148, the SP batting line-up failed completely and could only manage to amass 105 before being bowled out in the 17th over.

Right-handed batter Sharoon Siraj remained the top-scorer for the side with a valiant 36 off 27 deliveries, followed by Ilyas, who could score 19 in the run chase.

Sohail Khan was the pick of the bowlers for Sindh as he bagged three wickets for 15, while Danish Azid and Zahid Mahmood claimed two wickets each. Saad Khan, Anwar Ali, and Mir Hamza, on the other hand, made one scalp each.

For his gritty knock and two catches behind the stumps, Sarfaraz was adjudged the player of the opening match of the National T20 Cup 2022-23.

READ: Anwar Ali fined for showing dissent at umpire’s decision 

RAWALPINDI: All-rounder Anwar Ali has been penalised with 25 per cent of the match for showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during the opening game of the National T20 Cup on Tuesday between Sindh and Southern Punjab.

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Sindh all-rounder Anwar was adjudged of violating article 2.8 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel.

The incident happened in the seventh over of the second innings when Anwar showed dissent against the umpire’s decision after his delivery was deemed wide overhead.

On-field umpires Rashid Riaz and Nasir Hussain, third umpire Saqib Khan and fourth umpire Imtiaz Iqbal levelled the charges against the all-rounder. Anwar, who pleaded guilty, accepted the sanction proposed by Nadeem Arshad.

It is pertinent to mention here that Sindh beat Southern Punjab by 42 runs.

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RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has set affordable ticket prices to attract maximum fans for watching their favourite players in action during the upcoming National T20 Cup scheduled at Pindi Cricket Stadium. 

The general category tickets for Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Miran Bakhsh and Yasir Arafat enclosures are priced as low as PKR50.  Whereas, the tickets for Imran Khan, Javed Akhtar, Azhar Mehmood and Javed Miandad enclosures, which fall under VIP category, are priced at PKR100.

The tickets for the #NationalT20Cup are available now!

More details ➡️ https://t.co/g8S0oHJAbR pic.twitter.com/tnKX9itL8Q

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 25, 2022

Tickets will be available for sale from tomorrow both online and through physical booths  and fans can easily buy tickets, through PCB’s ticketing partner BookMe. The online tickets can be purchased at pcb.bookme.pk.

It is pertinent to mention here that the first leg of the National T20 will be played in Rawalpindi from 30 August till 7 September with the first match of the day starting at 09:30 AM and the second at 02:00 PM.

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Lahore: Northern’s Zeeshan Malik was suspended by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) under Article 4.7.1 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code, which means he cannot take part in any cricket-related activity pending the investigation being carried out by PCB’s Anti-Corruption Unit.

The 24-year-old has played 19 first-class matches, 17 List A games, and 21 T20s. Last year, he was named in Pakistan’s 35-member squad for New Zealand tour. He represented Pakistan Shaheens.

PCB has decided not to make any further comments as this is an ongoing investigation

Article 4.7.1 read as: Where either: (a) the PCB decides to charge a Participant with an offence under this Anti-Corruption Code; or (b) the PCB considers that there are other exceptional circumstances relevant to a Participant (for example, where any relevant police authority has arrested and/or charged a Participant with an offence under any relevant criminal law in respect of facts or circumstances that may also constitute an offence under this Anti-Corruption Code), it shall have the discretion, in circumstances where it considers that the integrity of the sport could otherwise be seriously undermined, to Provisionally Suspend the Participant pending the Anti-Corruption Tribunal’s determination of whether he/she has committed an offence. Any decision to Provisionally Suspend the Participant will be communicated to the Participant in writing, with a copy sent at the same time to the ICC and, where applicable, the National Cricket Federation to which the Participant is affiliated.

Lahore: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has successfully defended the National T20 Cup title by beating Central Punjab in the final by seven wickets here at the Gaddafi Stadium.

KP chased down the target of 149 in 17 overs due to aggressive batting by skipper Iftikhar Ahmed, who slammed 45 runs off 19 balls.

At the top, Kamran Ghulam scored crucial 37 off 31 while Sahibzada Farhan made 26 off 28. Adil Amin supported batters and remained not out on 25 off 21.

Earlier, Iftikhar bowled a brilliant spell to restrict CP to 148. He was supported well by younsgters Mohammad Imran and Arshad Iqbal.

Iftikhar bagged three wickets in two overs, giving away only five runs. Left-armer Imran took 3/26 while Arshad claimed two for 28. Imran Khan Snr. and Khalid Usman also bagged a wicket each.

Central Punjab’s experienced campaigners Ahmed Shahzad (44) and Kamran Akmal (42) posted a 85-run stand after Mohammad Akhlaq went back to pavilion in the first over.

Spinners came in their way and caused a mini-collapse in middle-overs. CP lost four wickets for just 15 runs. They pinned hope from Qasim Akram, who smacked 20 runs off 11 but Imran bagged consecutive wickets to stop CP’s flow of runs.

At the back-end, Faheem Ashraf hit 14 off 6 balls to give CP a respectable score of 148, however, it was not enough for KP batters.

Iftikhar was awarded player of the match for his all-round performance while he also bagged player of the tournament award. He scored 409 runs at a strike rate of 170.41 and picked eight wickets at an economy rate of 5.57.

Lahore: Central Punjab produced a commanding performance to book their spot in the National T20 Cup final with a one-sided seven-wicket victory over Sindh in the second semi-final at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Central Punjab will take on defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in their first National T20 final since the tournament was revamped as a six-team competition in the 2019-20 season.

Seasoned campaigners Ahmed Shehzad and Kamran Akmal spearheaded the 142-run chase with an almost flawless batting display that left the Sindh bowlers clueless.

Wicketkeeper-batter Kamran registered the 44^th T20 half-century of his career while Ahmed fell one short of his 40^th T20 fifty. The two added 88 runs for the second-wicket. Kamran who played some typically stylish shots in his innings scored 51 off 36 balls (seven fours, one six) he was dismissed by spinner Abrar Ahmed in the 14^th over.

Ahmed was dismissed by Sohail Khan for 49 (46 balls, four fours). The pair of Hussain Talat (13 not out) and Qasim Akram (11 not out) took Central Punjab past the target with 13 balls to spare.

Earlier, Central Punjab’s bowlers were spot on after skipper Wahab Riaz opted to field first. Sindh were restricted to 141/8 courtesy Qasim Akram’s 3/15 and Zafar Gohar’s 2/15. The spinners contained the proceeding in the middle-overs after Sindh had a brilliant start.

Openers Khurram Manzoor and Sharjeel Khan recorded 50-run stand but after that, the wickets fell at regular intervals. Sharjeel scored 19-ball 32 but Khurram couldn’t capitalize on the start and played slowish innings. He made 34 off 40 balls.

Sohail Khan had been promoted up the order to bring some aggressiveness in the middle but the idea couldn’t pay off. He scored 21 off 24 balls.

Rumman Raees and Mir Hamza stretched Sindh to a competitive score with crucial cameos. Rumman scored 7-ball 14 while Hamza made 9-ball 19.

Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa advanced in the final after beating Northern in the first semi-final.

Lahore: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s skipper Iftikhar Ahmed played a sublime knock to guide his side to the final of the National T20 Cup here at the Gaddafi Stadium.

The defending champions defeated Northern by five wickets and completed the chase in the last over courtesy of Iftikhar’s 17-ball 45.

Sahibzada Farhan provided a great start to the chase but they lost momentum in the middle. Farhan stroked seven fours and a six for his 53 (39). Last match centurion Kamran Ghulam made 35 (29).

Iftikhar and his partner Khalid Usman put up a 54-run stand of 24 balls, steering KP in final for the straight second time. Iftikhar smashed three massive sixes and four boundaries while Usman hit one six in his 15-run innings.

Earlier, Northern scored 156/8 after being put into bat first by KP’s skipper Iftikhar Ahmed. All batters made smaller contributions as KP bowlers hold them for complete 20 overs.

Openers Nasir Nawaz (27) and Ali Imran (24) posted 48-run partnerships. Skipper Umar Amin and Zeeshan Malik stabilized the innings after both openers were dismissed in quick succession.

Umar made 22 while Zeeshan scored 29. Sohail Tanvir (19) and Aamer Jamal (19) played cameo to lead Northern to a competitive score.

Arshad Iqbal was the pick of the bowlers for KP, picking three wickets while Iftikhar, Usman Khalid and Mohammad Imran claimed a wicket each.

The second semi-final will be played later today between Central Punjab and Sindh at 7.30 pm.

Lahore: Kamran Ghulam registered maiden hundred as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa registered a 92-run win over Northern at the Gaddafi Stadium in the last group match of the National T20 Cup.

The victory saw Khyber Pakhtunkhwa end the group stage at the top of the points table with their six wins from 10 matches bringing 12 points. They will face fourth-placed Northern in the first semi-final tomorrow. The second semi-final will be played between second-placed Central Punjab and third-placed Sindh.

Kamran had strolled to the middle at the end of the second over when Israrullah was removed by Athar Mahmood. Upon his arrival at the crease, the right-hander took the steering wheel right away and anchored his side’s innings, helping them gather 52 runs in six overs – six runs more than the average powerplay score at this venue in the tournament – despite the loss of another wicket.

Over the course of his maiden century, Kamran, clubbed six sixes and as many as 10 fours, and his 48-run alliance with wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris (15-ball 18) set the launching pad for the power-hitters in the middle-order.

Iftikhar Ahmed’s thunderous 54 not out at a strike rate of over 207 propelled the batting side to an imposing 207 for four. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain crunched four sixes and as many fours.

Iftikhar and Kamran added a staggering 93 in the last seven overs during their undefeated 133-run stand, which went down as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is best for the fifth wicket. The pair had come together in the ninth over when leg-spinner Aaqib Liaquat struck twice in an over to send Haris and Nabi Gul back to the hut.

The onslaught began in the 13^th over with Kamran bludgeoning Aaqib for three consecutive sixes. From that point, the pair struck at least two boundaries in every over, except for the 14^th, which was Nauman Ali’s fourth over. The left-arm orthodox finished as the only bowler in the innings with his economy rate in single digit as he returned none for 19.

Northern had an abysmal start to their run chase as opener Nasir Nawaz was dismissed by Imran Khan Snr on the second ball. Their problems compounded in the fourth over as the other opener, Ali Imran, was run out. They faced the next blow in the next over with one-drop Zeeshan Malik following the two openers back to the pavilion after getting caught off Arshad Iqbal. The scorecard at this stage read 33 for three.

Northern had scored six runs less and lost a wicket more than Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the powerplay as they managed 46 for three in six overs.

Northern lost wickets on regular intervals and with 23-ball 34 and 21-ball 23, wicketkeeper-batter Rohail Nazir and Umar Amin, the Northern captain, were the only notable run-getters.

The match settled for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when Khalid Usman removed Rohail and Mubasir Khan in back to back overs, which reduced Northern to 98 for seven in 14^th over.

From there on, it was only a matter of time. Northern were finally bowled out on the fourth ball of the penultimate over with Asif Afridi removing Aaqib.

Alike Khalid, Imran and Asif were the other two bowlers to finish with two wickets next to their names.

LAHORE: Mohammad Taha’s tight knock of 47 runs led Sindh to their last group stage victory by five wickets against Balochistan in National T20 Cup. 

Set to chase 114, Sindh lost their openers Khurram Manzoor and Sharjeel Khan earlier but youngster Taha took the match away from Balochistan.

On a pitch that was looking tough to bat on, Taha stood firm and managed to keep the scoreboard ticking. He scored 47 not-out off 48 balls laced with four boundaries. Danish Aziz supported Taha in the end by scoring 19 including three boundaries.

Mohammad Ibrahim bagged two wickets while Kashif Bhatti and Mohammad Mohsin managed a scalp each for Balochistan.

Earlier, Sindh bowlers led their team from the front in a must-win game as they restricted Balochistan to 113-5 in the 29th match of the event.

Sent into bat first, Balochistan had their openers Abdullah Shafique and Abdul Wahid Bangalzai in good knick after they settled to score 54 runs within nine overs. But, their departure put Balochistan in deep trouble in a dead rubber contest for them.

Abdullah scored 22 off 26 balls including two boundaries whereas Bangalzai managed to score 29 with the help of four boundaries. Sohail Akhtar tried to rescue Balochistan with his 36-ball 37 runs knock.

For Sindh, Abrar Ahmed took two wickets while Rumman Raees and Danish Azizi managed to get a scalp.

Lahore: Balochistan and Northern were fined for maintaining slow over-rate during the ongoing National T20 Cup.

Balochistan were fined for maintaining a slow over-rate in their Sunday’s fixture against Central Punjab while Northern was fined PKR10,000 for maintaining a slow over-rate in their Saturday evening’s match against Balochistan.

Both teams were found an over short of their target they were charged under Article 2.22 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which deals with the minimum over-rate offences. As such, all members of the playing XI were fined PKR10,000.

Read: Central Punjab’s win ensure semi-final qualification for KP, Sindh